Context:
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has, for the first time in the history of the Lok Sabha elections, extended its ‘vote-from-home’ facility to Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and senior citizens aged 85 and above.
Relevance:
GS II: Polity and Governance
Dimensions of the Article:
- Vote-from-Home
- Process to Avail Vote-from-Home Facility
Vote-from-Home
Eligibility Criteria for Vote-from-Home:
- Age: Individuals aged 85 and above.
- Persons with Disabilities: Those with a disability of at least 40% as certified by the relevant authority.
- Mediapersons: Individuals covering polling day activities, provided they carry authorization letters from the Election Commission.
- Essential Service Workers: Including personnel from metros, railways, and healthcare.
- Service Voters: Members of the armed forces stationed away from their hometowns, Central Armed Police Forces personnel on duty away from home, and those assigned to poll duties.
Process to Avail Vote-from-Home Facility:
- Form Requirement: The primary document required is Form 12D, a letter to the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) explaining the inability to visit the polling station.
- Form Collection:
- It can be downloaded from the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
- Alternatively, it can be obtained from the office of the representative district officer of a parliamentary constituency.
- Submission Deadline: The completed form must be submitted within five days from the date the polling date is announced.
- Home Visit:
- Upon submission of the form, a team comprising two polling officials, a videographer, and a security person will visit the eligible voter’s residence.
- This team will oversee and facilitate the postal ballot voting process.
- Notification:
- The voter will be informed about the scheduled date and approximate time of the team’s visit either via SMS or postal mail.
- Two attempts will be made to facilitate home voting.
- Subsequent Visits:
- If the voter is not present during the first visit, a second visit will be scheduled.
- However, if the voter is absent during the second attempt, no further visits will be made.
- Such individuals will become ineligible to vote both at polling stations and through the home voting scheme in that election cycle.
-Source: Indian Express
