Election Commission of India to extend ETPBS facility enabling NRI's to cast vote
Election Commission of India to extend ETPBS facility enabling NRI's to cast vote
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The Election Commission of India has proposed the centre to amend the law at the earliest to extend the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) facility to serve the eligible overseas Indian voters. The EC in its letter to the legislative secretary in the law ministry on 27 November, said with the successful execution of ETPBS in case of service voters, it is now "confident" that the facility can also be extended to the overseas electors. "The Commission is technically and administratively ready to extend this facility in general elections to legislative assemblies of Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry," the poll panel said. These states to face election in 2021. 

The letter said the poll panel has been receiving several representations from Indian emigrant population residing abroad to facilitate voting through postal ballots as the eligible overseas electors owing to the economic cost is not in a position to travel  and also, in accordance with the country of their residence  compulsions they cannot leave the employment, education or other engagements. "Due to protocols associated with COVID-19, the problem further gets compounded," the letter to the law ministry said. The Commission observed that Section 62 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 demands the right to vote for every citizen registered in the electoral roll who is not subject to disqualification for voting.

"Therefore, it is necessary to explore all avenues to enable exercise of a franchise by all eligible electors," it said. A recent data shows only 10000 to 12000 overseas voters exercised their franchise. Under ETPBS, a postal ballot is sent electronically to a service voter. The eligible voter has to download it and has to use a specific envelope to return it to the returning officer of his constituency after voting. Counting of votes begins with the counting of postal ballots at 8 am and the postal ballot has to reach the returning officer by 08:00 am on the counting day. The EC has suggested amending the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 to extend ETPBS for overseas electors. The rules were amended in October, 2016 to allow service voters to use ETPBS. 

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