EC conducts voters’ education, electoral participation workshop

Addressing the participants, chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra said that each voter interacts with the election machinery during enrolment and poll day and the two experiences must be pleasant

The Election Commission (EC)’s two-day Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) consultation workshop ended on Thursday. The agenda of the workshop was to review state SVEEP plans and deliberate on the important aspects of SVEEP for a strategy for the forthcoming elections.

CEC Sushil Chandra. (File photo)

Addressing the participants, chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra said that each voter interacts with the election machinery during enrolment and poll day and the two experiences must be pleasant.

He added the field teams should ensure that the enrolment process is seamless, and the polling experience remains hassle free. Chandra called it imperative that they evaluate their strategy and current interventions at regular intervals, identify critical gaps and address the challenges to devise deliverable action points. He emphasised that implementation of the strategy at the ground level is important.

Chandra and election commissioner Rajiv Kumar also unveiled a new initiative to reach out to new voters through a personalised letter from the EC along with their voter ID cards. The package would include a guide for new voters along with a congratulatory letter and a pledge for ethical voting.

Election commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey highlighted the importance of synergy between the use of social media and traditional forms of communication in the SVEEP strategy. He said state teams should conduct similar workshops and deliberations with district electoral officers and their teams in the states.