Gujarat Election 2022: The Election Commission of India has made voting more convenient for senior citizens and people with disabilities with a new introduction of online voting in the general elections in Gujarat.
Through this evolution, a lot of people will be able to take part in the election as 8.6 lakh people out of 12.56 senior citizens and people with disabilities are already registered to vote through online mediums.
According to ECI, senior citizens and people with disabilities will be able to vote through postal ballot. Election officials along with observers will visit their homes and enable them to vote through postal ballots.
Gujarat government and the election officers are promoting the "VoteFromHome" facility for senior citizens, who are elder than 80 years and people with disabilities through prior registration.
Gujarat elections, which is said to be held in two phases, one on 1st December and the second on 5th December will also conduct the voting online for senior citizens. The declaration of the election will be done on the 8th of December 2022.
An absentee voter will have to apply to the Returning officer (RO) concerned with the constituency to vote through postal ballot.
Apart from that, a person with disability who seeks to vote through postal ballot should accompany a copy of of disability certificate issued by the Government, under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
After this, Booth Level Officer (BLO) will visit the residences of the voters who registered themselves for the postal ballot and will help them to vote for the elections.
BLO shall deposit all the acknowledgements obtained from the electors with the RO.
If an elector is not available, BLO will share his/her contact details and revisit to collect it within five days of the notification.
It is solely on the elector to agree for the postal ballot. If he does than the BLO will take the filled form under 12D within 5 days of notification and provide it to the RO.
Further, the RO shall share the list of all such PWD and 80+ electors, whose applications in Form 12D for availing Postal Ballot facility have been approved by him, with the Contesting Candidates of recognized political parties in printed hardcopy.
At the end, two officers from the election office along with a videographer will visit to the elector's house during the election and will take his vote.
Candidates will be provided a list of these electors in advance and will also be provided the schedule of voting and the route chart of the polling parties so that they can send their representatives to witness the polling procedure.
