Shortly before the biggest festival of democracy in India, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections commenced, the opposition-led INDIA bloc appealed to the Election Commission of India: to return to the old rule of counting the postal ballots 30 minutes before counting EVM votes. The appeal, however, was rejected by the ECI. It stated that the counting rules can not be changed mid-course as Vidhan Sabha election results were already out in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. A postal ballot - also called a mail-in vote - is a method that allows citizens to vote for their representative via mail when they are unable to cast their votes in person. There are, however, certain conditions under which one can be allowed to do so. Postal ballots can only be exercised by those living away from their home constituency, voters under preventive detention, specially-abled persons, senior citizens, and voters on mandatory election duties. Starting this year, media persons on election coverage duty were allowed to vote in the general election through postal ballots. To cast a postal ballot, eligible persons must apply for the same to their constituency's returning officer (RO). Once the application is approved, a ballot paper is sent to their registered address. After marking the ballot, the letter is handed to the nearest post office. From here, it is handed to the RO, who transfers it to the counting centre of the respective constituencies. This whole process has to be done before the counting starts. Severe action can be taken if orders are not followed. This year, the counting was about to start at 8 a.m. on the morning of 4th June; the deadline to hand over the postal ballots was 4th June at 7:59 a.m. The Ministry of Communications assigns a separate budget to Post Offices to book the ballot papers. Persons giving their mandates through this method don't need to pay any booking charge. The scope of postal ballots expanded with the introduction of ETPBS (Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System). First used in the 2019 elections, this system was mainly introduced for the convenience of the people who must be on duty during election time or do not live in their constituency. Duplication is impossible because of a unique QR code provided to the voters. The ETPBS system saw a massive surge in mail-in ballot turnout in the general elections of 2019 and 2024. In 2014, the voter turnout through postal ballot was 4%, which increased to 40-45% in the 2019 elections. This year, the voter turnout was a whopping 65.79%, according to the ECI. This clearly shows that the voter turnouts got a push after the introduction of ETPBS along with postal ballots. Including media persons who wouldn’t have voted otherwise also increased the turnout. The Chronicle reached out to people who voted through postal ballots this year. A voter in Kolkata who was on election duty on the scheduled day of voting, when asked about the experience of voting through a postal ballot, answered, “It’s very easy and secure, and I’m happy that I can exercise my democratic rights without hampering my election duties. It’s my first time voting by a ballot, and I was a little confused, but the others here guided me, and then I voted smoothly.” Another police officer on duty in Chennai, when asked about ETPBS, gave the same reaction and was very much satisfied that his work didn’t come as a barrier to exercising his democratic rights. However, many people are also unhappy with the system. The complex application process and long approval time add to the angst of the people. A senior citizen standing in the queue to vote in the scorching heat of Kolkata answered, “I’ve applied for the postal ballots, but the approval hasn’t come yet, so having no option, I am standing in the queue. The responsible authorities should see that the process is timely and everyone gives their mandate.” Postal ballots turn out to be an effective method of voting as it allows maximum citizens to exercise their democratic right of choosing their leader without their circumstances stopping them. This year saw a record turnout for postal ballot voters. If this practice continues, we could look at a future with 80-85% voter turnouts.What Are Postal Ballots?
The Process
The Turnout Surge
What People Had to Say
17 Jun 2024
Hrishit Bhattacharya
