Re-enfranchise the Forgotten Voter

Context: There is a need to promote the idea of  ‘One Nation One Voter ID’ by ensuring ballot portability to re-enfranchise the forgotten migrant voters.

Migrant workers are facing difficulty in exercising voting rights:

• Unable to exercise voting rights: Migrant workers become quasi-disenfranchised because they cannot afford to return home on election day. 

• Economic Survey of 2017: Internal migrant workers constitute about 13.9 crores unable to vote in elections.

• Callous attitude by State governments toward the plight of migrants since this group does not constitute their vote bank.
• Lack of proof: Internal migrant workers do not enroll as voters in their place of employment since they find proof of residence hard to provide. 
• Ignoring the concerns: Since they do not have a vote where they work, their concerns are ignored in the host State.

• Many times they are targeted for allegedly taking jobs away from the local population.

Way Forward:

• Focussed attention: The ECI needs to focus attention on a substantial 29.68 crore, who did not cast their vote most among them are migrant workers.

• Aadhaar-linked voter-ID based solution:  To enable electors to cast votes digitally from anywhere in the country. 

• There is a need to ensure that the linkage with Aadhaar does not result in the exclusion of eligible individuals.

• Outreach measures: Using the network of District Collectorates to enable migrants to physically vote in their city of work based on the address on their existing voter IDs. 
• Usage of technology: To record and transfer votes to their respective constituencies without compromising the credibility of the election process.
• Civic right: Voting must be viewed not just as a civic duty but as a civic right. 
• Political will: To usher in ‘One Nation One Voter ID’ to ensure native ballot portability by enacting the legislation.