The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
—Article 21, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
INTRODUCTION
Universal Adult Franchise or the Right to vote is a fundamental right granted to all adult citizens of India. It represents the true essence and legitimacy of a democratic government, that it is made ‘for the people, by the people and of the people’. As we are nearing the halfway mark of the year 2023, the country is slowly gearing up for the General Elections (GE) to be held in 2024. India, being the largest democracy in the world will find these elections to be the talk globally. The 21st century has seen only a steady rise in voter turnout in India and one can hope for the same in the coming elections.
VOTING
One of the most discussed statistics is voter turnout, as it stands as a firm indicator of the political participation of the people of the country. The 2019 GE saw a voter turnout of 67.40%[i]. Apart from indicating voting participation, it also indicates that 32.60% of the eligible population chose to not cast their vote.
The Indian Constitution revokes the Right to Vote of an individual during any of the three following scenarios[ii]:
- When an individual votes in more than one constituency.
- When an individual is convicted of committing offences under Section 171E (involves bribery) and Section 171F (involves personation or being under the influence at an election) of the Indian Penal Code.
- Individuals convicted of offences under Section 125 (involving various electoral offences), Section 135 and Section 136 of the People’s Act, 1950.
Apart from this, any adult of sound mind can and should utilize the right to choose their representative. Yet, citizens choose to be complacent regarding this valuable right.
Unlike its Western counterparts, India experiences a higher voter turnout in its local elections than in its national elections[iii]. There are various social and personal reasons for the same. During local elections, people can be easily mobilized to vote owing to lesser numbers of voters in comparison to national elections. People tend to be in a wider arena of network locally and hence might feel a need to vote owing to the fear of being judged for not voting. Most importantly, the decisions made by representatives at a local level (such as the Panchayat), tend to have a much more direct impact on people’s lives. There are also cases where people aren’t aware of their representatives in the national elections. This lack of awareness seeds ignorance in them.
Many socio-economic conditions also play an important role in the same. Many people often migrate to different areas in search of jobs and not every one of them can afford to travel back to where they are registered to vote. Higher levels of poverty can induce a lack of awareness or knowledge regarding their Right to Vote. Many states also face civil unrest which hinders the chances of citizens to vote and makes it equally difficult for the election officers.
CONCLUSION
In recent years cynicism against political institutions has become a growing trend. People find it easy to reduce the value of opinions and processes they don’t understand on their first attempt. A nation can be easily judged by the civic competence of its citizens. Hence, it stands at true understanding that citizens must utilize their Right to Vote as a tool to not only better their nation politically but also to cement its place globally as a strong world leader.
[i] “India | International IDEA.”, accessed June 20, 2023, https://www.idea.int/data-tools/country-view/146/40.
[ii] “Voting Rights in India | Right to Vote in India.”, accessed June 20, 2023. https://www.bankbazaar.com/voter-id/voting-rights-in-india.html
[iii] Francesca Jensenius, Harsh Shah, Pradeep Chhibber. “Why Voters Don’t Turn up in Larger Numbers in Lok Sabha Elections – All Politics Is Local.” ThePrint, March 12, 2019. https://theprint.in/opinion/why-voters-dont-turn-up-in-large-numbers-in-lok-sabha-elections-all-politics-is-local/204344/.
Authored by: Mallika Rana, Research Intern, USI