Question

The Election Commission of India is mulling over to push for absentee votes to increase the voter base and facilitate higher turnout during polls. Consider the statements on proposed reforms.

1. Linkage of Aadhar card with the voter-id card.

2. Digital voter id for new voters.

Which among the above is/are the proposed reforms?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Both 1 and 2

The correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

• The Election Commission of India is mulling over to push for absentee votes to increase the voter base and facilitate higher turnout during polls.

• The proposed reforms of the Election Commission-
  • Linkage of the Aadhar number with voter ID.
  • Allowing voter registration as soon as a person turns 18 years.
  • Ensuring gender-neutral voting rights to service voters.
  • Launching of the digital voter ID for new voters.
• Hence, both statements are correct.
• While the first three require amendments to the Representation to People’s Act, 1951, the fourth one- a Digi locker enabled version of the voter ID is set to be launched on January 25 at a National Voter’s Day event.
• Aadhaar linkage and voter authentication are also considered critical to the commission’s plans to work towards electronic/Internet-based voting and forgiving ‘remote’ voting rights to domestic migrants.
• The Aadhar linkage is pending an amendment to the Representation of People’s Act.
• The EC had assured that privacy and data safety-related concerns would be protected in discussions held until December 2019.
• The EC is now waiting for the government to move the amendment to the Cabinet for approval.
• One of these is a proposed amendment to Section 14(b) of the RP Act, which looks at registration for first-time voters as they turn 18 years of age. Presently, only those who turn 18 on January 1 can apply to register as a voter that year.
• The third recommendation pertaining to voting rights involves amendments to Section 20(6) of the Act — to allow the husband of female service personnel to be registered as a service voter where she holds office.
• As of now, subsection (8) of Section 20 of the Representation of People Act only allows the wife of a male ‘service’ voter to cast her vote as a service voter. This facility is not available to the husband of a female service voter. The current rules also do not permit children of a service voter residing with him to be enrolled as service voters.