Senior voters above the age of 85 and those listed under the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category have started exploring their voting from home option in Kozhikode district.
The ‘home voting’ option launched by the election authorities in Kozhikode on April 17 (Wednesday) is expected to cover 15,404 voters in four days with the support of booth-level officers (BLOs).
In Kozhikode, there are 4,873 differently abled citizens, who are eligible to vote under the new option. The number of elderly voters eligible for home voting is 10,531.
According to the election authorities, the assigned poll officials comprising a special polling officer, polling officer, micro observer, security officer, and a cameraman would visit each voter to complete the procedure. BLOs would do the required local coordination and keep the voters updated about the voting time, they said.
All formalities related to voting will be strictly followed during the home voting procedure. A temporary booth will be set up at the time of voting to ensure confidentiality. The whole voting procedure will be recorded on camera for transparency and future reference.
BLOs said the option was found to be very helpful for bedridden people, who could exercise their right at the comfort of their homes. Poll officials also completed the procedures in a compassionate manner, they said.
Home service would be available only to those who submitted Form 12D (Letter of intimation by absentee voters) to the returning officers concerned. Similarly, persons with disabilities meeting the 40% benchmark disability alone would be allowed to use the home option. They have also been asked to produce a baseline disability certificate for approval.
