Voting from home
In order to provide facility of voting from home for the elderly and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) for the coming Lok Sabha elections, J&K administration has started the process.
Voters above 85 years of age and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with 40 per cent benchmark disability criteria can avail the optional home voting facility and this category has already begun casting their votes for phase I and II of polling.
This initiative marks a significant stride towards ensuring inclusivity and accessibility of the electoral process besides bolstering democratic participation. Specifically, this facility is being extended to two key demographic groups: Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) meeting the 40 per cent benchmark disability criteria and senior citizens aged above 85 years.
This optional facility underscores the Election Commission of India’s commitment towards ensuring that citizens’ right to vote is not encumbered by physical barriers and disabilities. This upholds the Commission’s motto of ensuring – No voter is left behind, an official statement said.
The procedure to avail this facility is simple yet thorough. Within five days of the election notification, the eligible voters must complete Form 12D and submit it to the returning officer while the PwD voters have to submit a baseline disability certificate with their applications.
The DEO highlighted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced home voting for the first time in Lok Sabha Election.
