With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections around the corner, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has kick-started a nationwide awareness programme on Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) to provide citizens with a first-hand experience of the voting process and familiarity with the machines.
The programme includes outreach and awareness activities in 3,464 assembly constituencies spread across 613 districts in 31 states/UTs, a statement from the ECI said. Five states that went for polls in November 2023 – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana – are not in the list.
“Over 3,500 demonstration centres and around 4,250 mobile vans have been set up to physically demonstrate EVM/VVPAT functionality to the public. CEOs and DEOs are also sharing the updates on social media platforms to enhance the outreach of this awareness programme,” the poll body said.
The awareness programme, which is organised ahead of every election, focuses on imparting knowledge about the basic features of EVMs and VVPATs, elucidating the step-by-step procedure of casting votes, and educating voters on how to verify their choices through the VVPAT slip.
Awareness through physical demonstration fosters deeper understanding of EVM and VVPAT functionality and is instrumental in dispelling misconceptions, boosting voter confidence, and ensuring a more informed and participative electorate, the poll body added.
In June, the terms of Lok Sabha, and assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will be ending. In 2019, the Lok Sabha elections were announced on March 10. Polling was done in seven phases between April 11 and May 19 while the counting of the votes took place on May 23. These four states will witness simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and assemblies.
As per ECI’s standing instructions, state Chief Electoral Officers need to start a focussed awareness campaign approximately three months prior to the announcement of the election, considering the date of announcement of the last election.
A schedule for the awareness campaign is prepared by the District Election Officer assembly constituency and segment-wise, which is also shared with national and state recognized political parties and local media.
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