Pink teddy bears to promote voting?

Those opposing the "teddy bear" idea have valid points. But perhaps, the criticism - while justified - may be myopic about other positive yields of the decision. Whether one likes it or not and even if one may call it a trivial publicity stunt pulled by the election commission, the pink idea has worked

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The election commission's decision to get a pink theme at 40 polling stations and gifting pink teddy bears to first-time female voters has gotten mixed reactions. First-time voters Sienna Lobo and Rajeshwari Ahire, both FYBBA students at Don Bosco College like the idea. "I think first-time voters will feel happy and be encouraged to vote again," said Sienna. "Girls usually like a teddy, it is a good way to motivate more people to vote as voting is everyone's right," Rajeshwari said. Jonas Vas of FYBBA is not impressed though. "Giving a teddy bear to an 18-year-old doesn't make much sense. This is like giving an 80-year-old man a remote-controlled car," he said.

The election commission wants to promote gender empowerment through increased participation in the democratic process. According to a report published in Outlook on January 25, chief electoral officer IAS Kunal said there are plans to decorate the entire polling station in pink, complete with pink balloons and flowers. Polling officers on duty will also wear pink and voters will be encouraged to dress likewise. Goa is not the only state that is going Pink. Many polling stations in Punjab also plan to have a pink theme and ‘selfie points’.

The pink theme has not gone down well with some citizens. They allege gender bias, lack of transparency in procuring the teddy bears and claim there is no need to lure voters for the wrong reasons.. A report published in The Hindu on January 31 states that members of Chitrangi, a women’s collective, met CEO Goa Kunal to register their objection to giving pink teddy bears. A delegation led by Prashanti Talpankar told the chief electoral officer that this caused an unwarranted discrimination between male and female voters. Kunal is said to have agreed to give a pen to all voters the next time.

Goa has kept a target of 87-90% voting in the February 4 election. The state has around 564,142 eligible female voters - 17,400 more than the male voters. There exists a definite gender gap in the participation of women in politics. As per data available on government sites, in the 2004, 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the percentage of female votes over total votes polled was 43.5, 45.8 and 47 per cent respectively. Now, while close to half the votes belonged to women, women representatives in the House are far less. In 2004, 2009 and 2014, the percentage of elected women over total seats was only 8.3, 10.9 and 11.4 per cent respectively. These statistics reveal that to promote the theme of gender empowerment within the electoral process is not misplaced in the least. If there exists a bias against women in mainstream politics, the drive to woo more females in the democratic process should not be looked at too cynically. If more women begin to vote, perhaps more women will also begin to fight elections and the need to fight for women’s reservations in parliament won't arise. A utopian idea, but worth the adulation.

Those opposing the "teddy bear" idea have valid points. But perhaps, the criticism - while justified - may be myopic about other positive yields of the decision. Whether one likes it or not and even if one may call it a trivial publicity stunt pulled by the election commission, the pink idea has worked. Those in advertising and event management may know how crucial the optics are in organising a successful event and what an important role that word-of-mouth publicity plays. The Election Commission may have erred by selecting a rather juvenile gift but they have landed a market-savvy idea to advertise the biggest festival of democracy.

An innocuous teddy bear has sprouted lighthearted discussions among first-time female voters. I assume that some girls are excited, some are rolling their eyes, some are taking offence and raising the gender flag. I imagine that boys are joking about teddy bears, pulling jokes on the expense of their girl friends and some are even saying, "Not fair, what is in it for us?" Adults and activists who are speaking up against the theme are making valid points around gender and ethics and have been unwittingly pulled into the important task of creating voting awareness. Now, take the teddy bear out of the picture and one would be left with mundane slogans and routine advise about civic responsibilities “ that may, here’s the hard truth “ make some mischievous 18-year-olds yawn. “Chill miss! What’s in a vote?” I imagine them saying.

It is our collective responsibility to introduce the youth about the magical possibilities and the powers of voting; to engage and enthuse them. If pink teddy bears make some wake up from their sleepy benches and ask, “Miss, what you saying? They are giving teddy bears or what?” join the laugh and use that as an opportunity to educate these youthful free spirits to think beyond a trivial sop and mediate over the power of their responsibility.

We must not assume that all first-time voters are so naïve to need a sop to vote. In being cynical and judgemental thus, we may be undermining the acumen of a large number of informed youth who organise remarkable annual events, plan and participate in awareness rallies and brainstorm development on social media platforms. But, while some youth are remarkably politically conscious, not everyone is equally motivated about participative democracy. For the undecided or unenthusiastic lot of first-time voters, the flimsy pink trick may just work like a carrot stick. So be it.