Voter Awareness

There was a time when illiteracy and ignorance were very high in India. Unscrupulous and corrupt politicians used to take advantage of this advantage and hoodwink the people in the name of governance. With the literacy rate going up and education spreading, awareness and socio-political consciousness among the masses have increased quite significantly. Socio-political awareness and empowerment are very important factors for a healthy democracy. But despite better literacy and increasing awareness among the people, quite a large number of citizens still do not realize the importance of exercising their franchise during elections. According to the Election Commission of India, more than 30 percent of eligible voters have actually not done so in the first two phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha election in the country. The exact voting percentage for the 102 Lok Sabha seats for which polling was held in the first phase on April 19 has been placed at 66.14, while in the 88 seats where polling was held in the second phase, the percentage was 66.71. This is not a good sign, and by doing so, close to one-third of voters or citizens have remained outside the decision-making process. The low turnout of voters was more in urban centres than in rural areas. Though a scientific study is required in order to ascertain the exact reasons leading to this kind of apathy, the fact remains that voter apathy creates fertile ground for injustice and inequality to take root and perpetuate a cycle of disenfranchisement. Every single vote is like a thread that weaves together the fabric of our democratic society. It is thus very important that more and more people come out to vote in order to strengthen the democratic process, which in turn will ensure the establishment of a better government and then lead to better governance. Experts have pointed out that voter apathy, particularly among the youth, could be a symptom of a deeper malaise in our system. When citizens disengage themselves from the electoral process, they almost voluntarily allow others to dictate the course of their lives. Active participation is the core principle of democracy. The Election Commission has taken up a massive multi-intervention programme called SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) in order to reach out through different modes and media to educate citizens, electors, and voters about the electoral process in order to increase their awareness and promote their informed participation. It is, however, common to find that a sizable section of people do not take part in any public activity, be it a cleanliness drive in a locality or making donations to help a needy person. This apathy definitely takes root at two primary levels: at home, in the family, and at school. Children who are not taught or encouraged to participate in various activities at home, and students who are not motivated to take part in various academic and co-curricular or extra-curricular activities in school grow up to become apathetic to all kinds of public activity. Thus, it has to begin at home and in school.