The Election Commission is looking at Goa, with its 11.1 lakh voters, as an ideal place to test all its digital and IT platforms and ensure maximum participation by various marginalised segments.
Goa will use VVPAT (Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail) machines, which allows people to verify if their votes have been cast correctly, in all the Assembly constituencies for the first time. Awareness programmes on the machines are being carried out among electors, candidates and political parties.
Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, who was in Goa along with the Election Commissioners and other senior officials, said on Sunday that 50,000 of these machines were ready for use in all the five States, with 2,500 of these would be deployed in Goa.
For the first time an entire State will use an electronically transmitted postal ballot system, was all the 40 constituencies being covered. The elector photo identity card (EPIC) coverage in the State is 100%.
Each of the constituencies will have one polling station entirely managed by women. These stations will be painted pink.
Inclusive exercise
The Commission has laid emphasis on making the election process accessible to all sections, especially persons with disabilities, the aged and infirm. Comprehensive guidelines have been issued for making special arrangements such as sturdy ramps for barrier-free access and proper link roads to polling stations.
A directory of 2,757 physically challenged voters has been created. Arrangements will be made to pick them up from their houses on polling day. One polling station in Panaji will be managed entirely by physically challenged officials. Special facilities such as wheelchairs, waiting areas, queue assistance, parking areas, ramps and escorts will be provided. Braille ballot papers and a voter awareness guide will be made available in Braille for the visually challenged, and efforts will be made to issue Braille photo voter slips as well.
The Commission has also directed that as far as possible, auxiliary polling stations should be set up in TB sanatoriums, old age shelters and homes for the visually challenged.
Mr. Zaidi said that the focus of the Systematic Voter Education and Electronic Participation (SVEEP) introduced by the Commission is on improving gender ratio, increasing poll percentage and ensuring ethical voting.
Ethical voting
Mr. Zaidi also released a ethical voting awareness jingle with songs in Konkani, Hindi and English, sung by playback artist Hema Sardesai. The Hindi and English jingles would be utilised in other States as well, Mr. Zaidi said, complimenting Ms. Sardesai here on Sunday.
The EC has identified 10% of polling stations with the lowest turnout in the previous elections for a focussed implementation of the SVEEP plan. The EC authorities here have been given an ambitious target of 87-90 per cent voter turnout.
Mr. Zaidi said, “We hope that no voter is left behind in the forthcoming polls in Goa.”
