With reference to the recent Election Commission’s strategy to encourage voting by tracking electoral participation, examine the issue of compulsory voting. What can be done to encourage voters’ participation without compromising voter rights?

The election commission has signed MoU with over 1000 corporate houses to monitor the electoral participation of their workforce and publish on their websites and notice boards those who do not vote.

This has raised concerns surrounding the issue of compulsory voting.

Concerns:

• Violates fundamental right of freedom of expression under article 19, as negative voting and abstention from voting, both were held as freedom of expression by the NOTA judgement of Supreme Court.
• Raises concerns regarding voters rights and secrecy of voting.
• It is also violative of representation of people act 1951.
• An arbitrary distinctions between a voter who cast vote and a voter who does not cast his vote is violative of article 14.

Reasons behind lower voting percentage in India:

• Migration of workers, students.
• Lack of faith in governance and government.
• Ideological reasons.
• Daily wage earners who cannot afford to miss a day from work for voting.

Ways to improve voting:

• Educating the voters.
• Motivating the youth to be an active part of politics.
• Facilitation.
• Employers or legally bound to close their establishments on election day, but this is not properly enforced. There is a need to strictly enforce this law.

Hence, motivating and persuading the voters by educating them is a better alternative than compulsion and coercion.