e-Postal Ballot for Overseas Indian Voters

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• Voting by overseas Indian voters
• What is the current process of voting by NRIs/overseas Indian voters?
• Origin of the idea of postal ballot 
• What has been proposed by the EC?
• News Summary: e-Postal Ballot for Overseas Indian Voters

Why in news?

• An Election Commission proposal to facilitate Electronically-Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) for overseas Indian voters is under discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs.
• This was informed by the government in Rajya Sabha.

Voting by overseas Indian voters

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What is the current process of voting by NRIs/overseas Indian voters?

• Currently, Election Commission of India (ECI) allows NRIs to register as overseas electors as long as they have not acquired the citizenship of another country.
• An NRI can vote in the constituency in which his/her place of residence, as mentioned in the passport, is located. 
• He/she can only vote in person and will have to produce her passport in original at the polling station for establishing identity. 
  • Voting rights for NRIs were introduced only in 2011, through an amendment to the Representation of the People Act 1950.
• As per the government, total number of overseas voters on January 1, 2023 stood at over 1.15 lakh.
  • In Lok Sabha elections of 2019, roughly 25,000 of them flew to India to vote.

Origin of the idea of postal ballot 

• A 12-member committee was set up after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to study mainly three options — voting by post, voting at an Indian mission abroad and online voting.
  • The committee ruled out online polling as it felt this could compromise “secrecy of voting”. 
  • It also shot down the proposal to vote at Indian missions abroad as they do not have adequate resources.
• In 2015, the panel recommended that NRIs should be given the additional alternative options of e-postal ballot and proxy voting.
• The EC, in 2020, had written to the Law Ministry proposing NRIs be allowed to vote through postal ballots.
  • Following this, the matter has been under consideration by the government.

What has been proposed by the EC?

• To extend voting facility for NRI electors, EC had proposed the extension of Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) facility to these voters.
  • ETPBS enables the voters to cast their vote on an electronically received postal ballot from their preferred location.
  • ETPBS facility is so far available only to service voters, including 
    • members of the armed forces and central armed police forces posted outside their home constituencies and 
    • members of Indian embassies and diplomatic missions.
• According to the EC proposal, any NRI interested in voting through the postal ballot in an election will have to inform the Returning Officer (RO).
• RO should be informed in a time period not later than five days after the notification of the election.
• On receiving such information, the RO will dispatch the ballot paper electronically. 
• The NRI voters will download the ballot paper, mark their preference on the printout and send it back.
• This ballot is to be sent back along with a declaration attested by an officer appointed by the consular representative of India in the country where the NRI is resident.

News Summary: e-Postal Ballot for Overseas Indian Voters

• The proposal of EC to extend ETPBS facility to overseas Indian voters is being discussed with the Ministry of External Affairs to iron out logistical challenges in implementing it.
• Earlier, on the recommendation of the poll panel, the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was passed by Lok Sabha in August, 2018.
  • This bill was brought to enable the overseas electors to cast their vote either in person or by proxy.

The Bill was pending in Rajya Sabha for consideration but lapsed due to the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.

Q1) What is postal ballot?

A postal ballot is a method of voting in which eligible voters receive a ballot paper by mail, rather than going to a polling station to cast their vote. This allows people who are unable to attend the polling station on election day, such as those who are traveling or have disabilities, to still participate in the electoral process.
 

Q2) Who are overseas Indian Voters?

Overseas Indian voters are Indian citizens who are residing outside of India and are eligible to vote in Indian elections. According to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, an Indian citizen who is absent from the country for employment, education, or other purposes, and has not acquired citizenship of any other country, is eligible to be registered as an overseas voter.

Source: EC proposal to allow overseas Indian voters use e-postal ballot under discussion with MEA: Govt | ECI | The Hindu