Having sent postal ballots to service voters electronically for the first time in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India on Sunday said the one-way electronic transmission had enabled 60.14% turnout of such voters.
In comparison, an EC statement noted, the service voter turnout in the 2014 General Elections was just 4%. While the service voters still had to post their ballots back, an online registration system was set up and the ballots sent to them electronically for the first time.
Online system
“Compared to 13,27,627 number of registered Service Electors of last General Election in 2014, a record highest number of 18,02,646 were enrolled as Service Electors in 2019 in the world’s largest democratic election process. For the first time enabled through the dedicated portal https://www.servicevoter.eci.nic.in online registration, the service voters were sent postal ballots electronically one way to save processing time, resources and avoid human errors,” the statement read.
Service voters comprise those working in Central forces and government officials deployed at embassies around the world. Of the total service electors, 10,16,245 were from the Ministry of Defence; 7,82,595 from the Central Armed Police Forces; 3,539 of the Ministry of External Affairs and 267 of State Police.
“A total of 18,02,646 postal ballots were dispatched electronically... In return 10,84,266 e-postal ballots were received indicating 60.14% turnout,” it noted.
The Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System has two layers of security, with use of a one-time password, PIN and unique QR code on the portal, it said.
