Innovations and future challenges in India | Dr. Sanjay Kumar | TEDxFORESchool

Innovations in Indian Elections

• Innovations aim to facilitate free and fair elections, enhance voter comfort, and increase participation.
• Ballot boxes evolved from party-based symbols to secret voting arrangements.
• Electronic voting machines (EVMs) replaced ballot papers and boxes, simplifying the voting process.
• The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system provides voters with a physical slip confirming their vote, addressing concerns about vote secrecy.
• Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) were introduced to combat bogus voting, ensuring accurate voter identification.

Improvements in the Voting Experience

• Voters can now use 18 types of identity documents to cast their votes.
• Electoral rolls are updated with all registered voters, and voters can check their names online.
• A quick check feature using indelible ink ensures that voters have cast their ballots.
• Model polling booths provide a pleasant voting experience with facilities like tea, drinking water, restrooms, and first aid.
• Separate queues for men and women, as well as pink polling stations managed entirely by women, encourage women's participation in voting.
• Polling stations are brought closer to voters, with a mandatory distance of 2 kilometers from each house.
• Senior citizens who find it difficult to go to polling stations can now register to cast their votes from home.
• EVMs have replaced postal ballots, reducing the vote counting time from 3 days to just 2 and a half days.

Innovations in Election Conducting

• The counting process has been reduced from 3 days to 3-6 hours.
• People can now access election updates online.

Innovations in Opinion Polls

• Mobile apps are used for surveys, eliminating the need for physical ballot boxes and paper questionnaires.

Remote Voting

• The idea of remote voting or voting on the internet is being discussed.
• Concerns exist about the secrecy of votes in such a system.