Goa to be first state to offer online postal ballots

NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Goa will become the first state in the country to opt for electronic transmission of postal ballots to service voters in the assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner Dr Nasim Zaidi said on Sunday.
“Returning officers will transfer the postal ballots to service voters by electronic means so that service voters can download it, fill in it and send it back via e-mail to the returning officer,” Dr Zaidi said.
He said that sending postal ballots by electronic means will cut down the time in transmitting them to the service voters.
“We hope that a large number of our service voters will be able to utilise this facility. This would be the first in the region and around the globe. That is a matter of great pride for all of us and so it should be with the Goans,” the CEC said.
The state has 822 service voters who are either in the defence, central paramilitary forces or on diplomatic missions.
The commission has directed to set up all women managed polling stations to motivate women’s participation in the electoral process. “One polling station of each assembly constituency (total 40 polling stations) will be manned by women polling officials, and this will be named as ‘pink polling station’,” Zaidi said.
The CEC has issued directives on issuing revised photo voter slips, voter guide and voter facilitation posters to the voters. Efforts will be made to issue Braille photo voter slips to all persons with visual impairment.
A voter awareness guide in Braille is also being used.
The commissioner ensured special facilities like wheelchair, waiting area, queue assistance, parking area, ramps, and escort to about 2757 voters, who are ‘persons with disabilities’, so as to make the election process accessibly for all sections of the electorate.
Zaidi added that one polling station will be operated by all disabled officials of the EC for the first time. Braille ballot paper for easy readability by the visually impaired voters will also be used.
Also, all assembly constituencies in the state will have the voter-verified paper audit trail machines.
“This will be used all over the state to ensure transparency of the process to the voter. It will assure the voter that his vote has gone to the right candidate; 100 per cent polling will be covered by webcasting or CCTV,” he said.