Postal ballot by electronic means for armed forces personnel

Personnel of armed forces and Central police organisations registered as voters in Nellithope assembly seat in Puducherry, but posted elsewhere, will get their postal ballots by electronic means for the November 19 bypoll, the Election Commission said today.
As part of a pilot project, the Commission has decided that service voters from Nellithope would be sent their postal ballots by the new system to cut on time.
Accepting a long-pending demand, government had last month amended electoral rules to allow service voters, including armed forces personnel, to get their postal ballot through electronic means to save valuable time.
This would mean that service voters, including personnel from armed forces, can now download the blank post ballot sent to them electronically, mark their preference and post the filled-up ballot back to their respective returning officers.

This would cut short the delay experienced in the present system of two-way transmission of ballot paper by the postal services.
Two-way electronic transmission has not been recommended by the Election Commission for security and secrecy reasons The armed forces personnel serving in remote and border areas would be greatly benefited since the present system of two-way transmission of ballot paper by the postal services has not been able to meet the expectations of the service voters.

The government had issued notification on October 21, amending rule 23 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 enabling service voters, including armed forces personnel, to cast their vote in elections through e-postal ballot.

The issue had also come up before the Supreme Court where it was pleaded that an effective mechanism be created for armed forces personnel and their families to exercise their right to vote easily and effectively.
The government had approached the Election Commission to help mitigate the difficulties faced by service voters while exercising their franchise.
Service voters include armed police forces of the Central government, other forces subject to the provisions of the Army Act, armed forces of a state serving outside that state, and those employed under the government of India in a post outside India.