Vote an idea sirji!

State Election Commission wants to introduce online and SMS voting for year-end municipal corporation elections

By Yogesh Avasthi, Dilip Patel
Posted On Thursday, January 28, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010012820100128022902514349daf61)

You book your seat in a multiplex and even order a pizza by sending an SMS. Now, loosen up your fingers to engage in a more solemn exercise: voting. The state election commission is working on a new system wherein you will be able to vote in local polls either by sending a message from your cellphone or by making a few clicks on the internet.

The system, if approved by the Gujarat government, will be introduced by December when the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and civic bodies of five other cities will hold a ballot. The election panel, in fact, has asked technology companies to submit their tenders today for setting up the ‘Online Voting System’.

The panel’s bid to take the technological leap comes in the wake of the state government making voting in local polls mandatory. “The plan for starting such a procedure is almost ready. We have even informed the government. Once the plan is approved, we will put in place the IT infrastructure needed for online voting,” Election Commissioner (Gujarat) K C Kapoor told Mirror.

So, how will e-balloting work? If you are a cellphone-user, you will have to register your phone number, the handset’s international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number and mobile subscriber identity number inscribed on the SIM card with the poll panel. On the day of voting, you will be able to exercise your right by sending a text message to a unique number announced by the commission.

If you want to vote online, you will have to obtain a bank PIN-like number from the panel. On ballot day, you will have to log on to a website and enter the number to register support for a candidate/party. Your loved ones, too, will be able to cast a vote using the same number, provided you mention the number of eligible voters in your family at the time of registration.

All votes will be automatically saved on secure computer servers. As they will be electronically stored, there will be absolutely no chance for ballot-rigging. No one will be able to exercise his/her right multiple times as the servers will stop accepting votes from a person once he/she has completed the procedure once either through SMS or the internet.

“The systems for online voting in elections of local bodies exist in US, UK and France, and they have proved quite efficient,” Kapoor said. “They not only reduce the burden of bodies tasked with governing polls, but also encourage people to vote.”

Apart from setting up a website for e-balloting, the commission will also set up internet kiosks at public places and tie up with cyber cafes, which will act as e-booths. The objective, Kapoor said, was to increase voters’ participation by making the process simpler and speedier. The state election panel feels e-balloting would prove popular among youngsters as they use the web and mobile phones the most.

The plan for starting e-voting is almost ready. We will put in place IT infrastructure once the govt approves the plan

– K C Kapoor, state election commissioner