Shri V. Bhaskaran, State Election Commissioner, Kerala,
Shri Paul Antony, Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala
Shri E.K. Majhi, Chief Electoral Officer and Principal Secretary,
Dr. K. Vasuki, District Collector, Trivandrum

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends in Media,
Elavarkum Ente Namaskaram

I am very happy to inaugurate the National Voters’ Day Celebration in the State of Kerala. The theme for this year's celebration is ‘Accessible Elections'.

Let me at the outset, express my deep sense of appreciation for choosing ‘Accessible Elections' as the theme for this year. It is a very relevant theme and I will share my thoughts on it after some initial remarks about the power of the Vote.

As we all know, since 2011 we have been celebrating National Voters’ Day all over the country on 25th January, which was the date on which Election Commission of India (ECI) was formed in 1950. The Constitution of India also vested on the Commission, the powers of the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for the conduct of elections to Parliament, Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India.

Today, as we celebrate the National Voters' Day, we are celebrating our power as voters, which has been granted by our Constitution. The vote is not just a right to be exercised mechanically as and when elections are conducted; it is an instrument of change in the hands of the ordinary citizen. It is the power to cast our vote that makes all of us the sentinels of the democratic tradition.

India, which is the largest and the most vibrant democracy, has been a model to the world in terms of the faith in the Ballot. There are many nations around us, with lesser population and less diversity compared to us. But, none of them has demonstrated and sustained the power of the vote with greater dedication and faith than us.

As I mentioned now, the most appropriate way to show our faith in the democratic process is to exercise the right to vote. In fact, the ‘Right to Vote’ is the mother of all rights under the Indian Constitution and responsible citizens are the life-line of any democracy. Besides, it is often said that the highest office in our democracy is that of the ‘citizen of India’. But, to be a responsible citizen, we should be aware of our rights as well as the Fundamental Duties prescribed by our Constitution. One of the Duties prescribed here is about our civic responsibility to speak out freely in support of democratic principles of freedom, equality, justice, human rights, social welfare, environment and political and social improvement, both domestically and internationally. Our people, especially our youth should feel proud of performing their constitutional duties as their contribution to the nation and society. It is this sense of responsibility as citizens that would make our nation strong, invincible and globally respected.

Voters need to be educated about the process and made aware of the political parties, their manifestos, backgrounds of the contesting candidates and armed with several other information to help them cast an “enlightened vote”.
I understand that as part of the celebrations, functions are held at different levels in association with civil groups to felicitate newly registered electors and to issue Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs)to them. It is laudable that Millennium Voters or those born on the first day of the 21st century i.e. 1.1.2000 and who will became eligible voter completing their 18 years of age on 1.1.2018 will also to be felicitated. Launching Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) in Colleges and Universities, Electoral Literacy Communities in schools, conduct of National Election Quiz etc are good methods to reach out to future voters.

Our young voters should also be educated on how, we as a people, enjoy the constitutional promise of our Fundamental Rights and the privilege of a free Press, freedom to speak, to travel, form associations, criticize the Government, competitive elections, multi-party system, independent judiciary, and freedom from arbitrary arrest. They should learn how democracy has been rightly declared as one of the ‘basic features’ not amenable to amendment by various judicial pronouncements over a period of time. For instance, all the seven Judges who constituted the majority in Kesavananda Bharati (1973) 4 SCC 225 were unanimous that democratic set-up was part of the basic structure of the Constitution.

Coming to the theme of this year's National Voters Day Celebration, that is, Accessible Elections, I think it is an area which needs sensitization of the people in general. Personally, I have a reason to feel satisfied about the choice of this theme. As a former Judge of Supreme Court who gave the verdict on providing 3% reservation and various directions to all Governments in respect of Persons with Disabilities – of course, it has recently been increased to 4% by Parliament –
I am glad that this year's Voters’ Day takes the spirit of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1995 to another level.

I hope most of us would recall that last year we launched a scheme in Kerala called Anuyatra, to provide equal opportunities to children who are differently abled. It was part of a larger initiative to ensure that people with disabilities do not face any hindrance in their development as citizens. Moreover, our governments are taking all efforts to ensure disabled-friendly facilities in all institutions, offices and places visited by people and in events that involve people's participation.
The Polling Station is a very important public place since it is set up for performing the most significant duty in the democratic process. Here, it would be good to recall the Supreme Court Order of 2007 which initiated several moves to help people with disabilities to cast their votes without inconvenience. For instance, the Personnel at the Polling Station must ensure that physically challenged electors are given priority for entering the polling station, without having to wait in the queue for other electors and all necessary assistance as may be required should be provided to them at the polling station. All polling booths are expected to have ramps to enable people on wheel chairs to go in without difficulty.

And, for the visually challenged voters, the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Braille could be provided. The voters can also ask for a dummy ballot sheet in Braille from the Presiding Officer of the booth. The Braille paper will contain serial number, candidate's name and the party's name. He/she will be able to note the desired candidate's serial number and push the correct button on the EVM. Since Voters with disabilities may find it difficult to perform some actions alone, a companion can be permitted to accompany him/her to cast the vote, if needed.

We also have directions that ensure courteous behavior towards disabled voters and for providing necessary support to them at the polling station. Besides, electors with speech and hearing impairment should also be given special care as in the case of other disabled persons.

However, the news-pictures and footages of disabled people who come to vote appear to convey more about the hardships faced by them in voting rather than about the facilities made available to them. I would therefore, stress the need for more media attention to spread Electoral Literacy information and about facilities and priorities accorded to the differently abled among the people, especially the youth. Today's youngsters have a very high exposure to print, electronic and social media; so, it would be good to use these media to popularize such information. The Election Commission's award for creating awareness among people could now be extended to the online and social media too. The Media, on the other hand, can take promotion of Electoral Literacy as a part of their social responsibility. The ultimate aim of this endeavour should be to ensure that no voter is forced to abstain from voting due to disability.

In Kerala, we can be really proud that the people have always upheld the sanctity of the democratic process by ensuring an average 75% voter turn-out and through active and informed participation. In the recent Assembly Elections, the turn-out was 77.34%. Our contribution to the Electoral process is also noteworthy, especially the idea of the model code of conduct for elections, which emanated from Kerala for the first time through consensus in 1960. Kerala also has the distinction of having used the Electronic Voting Machine for the first time in 1982. And, we were also the first to have online registration in Electoral rolls and Kerala is the only State in the country to have 100% online registration process.
Now, Kerala has become the first State in the country with a fully automated database, which is connected to the National Voters Service Portal (NVSP) and the Election commission of India intends to integrate all the State Electoral Roll Management System (ERMS) through National Voters’ Service Portal (NVSP). This means, there would be a unique number for each voter and the new system would help avoid duplication.

On this Voters' Day, which proposes the full involvement of the disabled voters in the Election process, I would request our future voters to learn and assess not only on how our democratic institutions perform in society but also on how we can leverage our new technologies to help the disadvantaged people in electoral processes. Who knows, soon we may be able to ensure through technology, foolproof remote voting by people who are bed ridden and cannot be moved to polling stations. Our young voters who establish start-ups in technologies could think of developing such facilities.

Our new and young voters should also make positive use of the provisions of Acts like the Right to Information Act and the Right to Services Act so that they can learn to participate better in our democracy. Including the provisions of such Acts in the school and college syllabus may help create theoretical awareness, but, actual practice of these laws would empower our youth to contribute better ideas to society. I am also justified in making this appeal since in Supreme Court, I had the opportunity to dispose of more election related matters such as “NOTTA”, “Paper Trail”[Voter-verified paper audit trail], “disclosure of all relevant details in the nomination paper” etc.

We also need to sensitize families of people with disabilities so that they would provide full support to such voters and raise the issue or for file a complaint in case of issues at the polling stations. People who are interested in such matters can also play a role of an observer to see if facilities are provided at the polling stations.

In conclusion, I would urge the Young and Future voters of India to learn about and follow the highest principles of democracy. Remember that your right to vote is also your duty as a citizen. It is also your duty to ensure that the disabled people around you get a chance to vote with dignity.

I compliment the State Election Department for conducting this function in a befitting manner.

Thank You
Jai Hind