Look for inspiration at Chennai's traffic signals

Digital display boards at traffic junctions across the city will exhort residents to go out and vote on election day. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

After banners and posters, the latest additions to the voter awareness drive are the city traffic police’s digital display boards.

The city will exercise its democratic right on April 24 and over 65 lakh persons are expected to cast their votes on the day. A large number of them are first-time voters.

Thirty-one digital boards at traffic junctions across the city will display around 15 awareness messages to inspire voters. “The messages are being displayed on instructions from Election Commission officials. They will be there till the elections are over,” said a senior traffic police officer.

‘Lok Sabha elections 2014–date of elections 24-04-2014, voting time 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.’, ‘your vote is your strength, vote with conscience’, ‘voting is your right, voting is your duty’, ‘please vote and strengthen democracy by voting’ — are just some of the messages on display. “Motorists will be drawn to such messages while waiting at traffic signals. Hence, display boards are a good medium to create awareness about voting,” said the officer.

However, some traffic policemen feel the messages cannot be read clearly in the afternoon.

“This is the complaint we received from some elderly motorists who appreciated the effort taken by the police and the Election Commission,” said a traffic police constable.

Meanwhile, private players who have been attempting to spread awareness on voting have appreciated the move to display such messages on digital boards.

“It is important to encourage people, especially those in the 18-24 age group, to vote. They do not show much interest in the elections. Many of them do not have voter’s identity cards either,” said S.S. Bharanidharan, who is spreading awareness with the help of songs.