JAY JOSHI
The country is in the thick of the elections, and Goa is set to go to polls today. While candidates and voters are both busy evaluating each other, one organisation is working silently and impartially to ensure we have smooth elections: The Election Commission of India.
One of the core jobs that the Election Commission has to perform is creating awareness among the voters to encourage maximum voter-turnout, and to prevent violations of Model Code of Conduct by candidates. As the Indian society has changed and the ways of election campaigning have evolved over the years, the Election Commission too has become savvy, working with mediums such as mobile apps and social media channels to do its duty.
The commission has continued the conventional ways of raising awareness such as rallies, but social media and Whatsapp now figures prominently in our strategy, informed the EC official while elaborating on Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP). “The organisation urges the citizens, especially the youth, during voter awareness rallies to follow us on social media. The Commission participated in Shigmo festival to spread its awareness message, and here too, we prominently displayed our social media handles,” the official informed.
This time, the Election Commission has utilised social media in creative and effective ways to create voter-awareness, say the officers, but in an age when pages related to memes, motivational quotes, or life-hacks rule the roost, how will the page of Election Commission of India reach the voters? As it turns out, the officials have the answer to that question.
Through its social media accounts and pages, the top electoral body has organised a number of selfie and other contests. Voters are asked to send their pictures. The best ones are published on the Election Commission page, and the link is sent to the participants so that they can share it with their own friends and urge them to vote. The picture with most likes and shares gets points. The participants get two points for a like and one point for a share.
Creative ideas, pictures and videos are sent from each of its state branches to the central Election Commission for publication on its social media pages. In Goa too, a number of songs and creative videos put out by the Commission are creating quite a buzz. But these creative ideas have not come out of the blue or executed on a whim. A lot of thought and analysis goes into running the awareness programmes. Voter turnout data is analysed in advanced and officials hold detailed meetings, seeking approval for various ideas as early as eight months before the plan is executed.
While coming up with interactive contests on social media on voter-awareness front, the Commission is also tackling complaints regarding Model Code of Conduct with the cVIGIL app. In fact the organisation has even made a series of thriller-film like videos to create awareness about this app! The app enables the citizens to report violations of the Code of Conduct by sending pictures or videos of irregularities directly to electoral authorities. The authorities will then take cognizance of the complaint and send the Flying Squad to the spot within 100 minutes of the complaint being registered. The app uses location data, helping accurately trace the location of violation. This is an additional tool to ensure free and fair polls along with the conventional ways of reporting violations, informed EC officials. They further added that the app will remain active only till the time the Model Code of Conduct is in force.
A total of 34 reports have been registered through the app till the time of writing this article. Unfortunately, close to half the reports that came to the authorities through the app were simply citizens testing the app rather than reporting serious violations, and it is hoped that the situation will improve with time.
Scan the QR code to check out the cVIGIL app video
