House panel: E-voting urgently needed for defence personnel

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 8

Expressing “serious concern” over 90 per cent of service personnel being denied the right to cast their votes owing to inadequacies in the postal ballot and proxy voting systems, a parliamentary panel has recommended that that the Election Commission should appoint service officers as honorary election commission officers and entrust them with the duty of conducting elections in forward and difficult areas as it would ensure maximum participation of service voters.

In its report tabled today, the Standing Committee on Defence has also stressed upon the need for urgently introducing e-voting for members of the armed forces and their family members to overcome the present challenges and limitations.

The committee said several issues needed to be sorted out by the Defence Ministry in consultation with the EC. These included reduction in the size of e-postal ballot files to permit easy downloading, finalising standing operating procedure for on-line registration and one-way e-movement of ballots for effective implementation of the system, and devising and promulgating of unique service numbers for service voters.

A Cabinet note on e-voting has been prepared and an advance copy sent to the PMO, which suggested migrant labourers also needed to be extended this facility.