The Power to vote by not voting ! http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2007/01/the_power_to_vo.htm
There is a way to make yourself heard even by voting against ALL the canditates.. I have been made aware of this by Navin's comment under the Lonely Planet Blog. The 'Conduct of Election Rules 1961 act, Section 49(O)' of the Indian Manual of Election Law states that " "If an elector ..... decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry ....." Does this mean that we can excercise our franchise by collectively NOT voting for anyone, but to register a protest as a 'No - Vote" ? Certainly a powerful weapon. How about the winning canditate claiming victory by saying : Winning Canditate : 12 % of the Votes Cast Loosing Candidate : 3 % of the Votes Cast NO- VOTES : 85 % of the Votes Cast Without the NO-VOTES registered, the satement would be as follows : Winning Canditae : 75 % of the Votes Cast Loosing Canditate 25% of the Votes Cast Makes a huge difference to the perception of the electoral victory, doesn't it ? Maybe we should have a constitutional amendment that says that if the No-Votes registered exceeds 50% of the total Votes cast, the election is null and void ?? So get out there in the next election and even if you hate all the canditates (probably) cast NO-Vote !! Shekhar 4 Comments Posted. Post your comment<http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2007/01/the_power_to_vo.htm#postcomment> "Maybe we should have a constitutional amendment that says that if the No-Votes registered exceeds 50% of the total Votes cast, the election is null and void ??" You have my vote for having such an amendment in our Constitution, Shekhar. (pun intended) If the No-Votes in an election are not reported, the results can show a very misleading picture. I am reminded of a saying I heard a long time ago. "Statistics are like a bikini bathing suit. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital!" Cheers! Navin 1<http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2007/01/the_power_to_vo.htm#comment-15140>. Posted by Navin <http://superstargems.blogspot.com/> on January 16, 2007 with EMV.. cannot remember see NOTA (none of the above) options..!?. when I ask an officer while i was voting some years in chennai. he said that's not possible later I found website with below details but not sure same is valid. No invalid votes: Inside the control unit, hidden from you, is an extremely sensitive circuitry that takes care of common election errors or malpractices like vote duplication. For instance, if one were to press two or more buttons simultaneously, then no vote would be cast. Even if there was a micro-second difference in the pressing of the switches, the EVM is sensitive enough to trace and identify the twitch that was press first. 2<http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2007/01/the_power_to_vo.htm#comment-15300>. Posted by Yuva <http://iamyuva.blogspot.com/> on January 17, 2007 I am under the impression that for a NO vote to count- an actual vote must be cast in the ballot saying that you vote for 'nobody'- and that, in that case- if the votes for 'nobody' outnumber the votes for other candidates- a repoll must be called. k 3<http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2007/01/the_power_to_vo.htm#comment-21112>. Posted by kalden on February 02, 2007 u are right Kalden, a NO vote must be be cast - not sure that a repoll needs to be called, but maybe u can educate us on that. However most people that say "i do not have a single candutate that I would want to vote for" have a chance to go to the polls and and make that very important statement. Most people are not aware of tat, or I certainly was not. Shekhar *Citizens urged to exercise their right to franchise * http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/13/stories/2007021312030300.htm Staff Correspondent *Attention drawn towards Rule 49-0 for Conduct of Elections * ------------------------------ · *`Voters have no avenue to express their disillusionment with the system of governance' * · *Proposal to amend the rules to include a column, "None of the above" * ------------------------------ CHANDIGARH: On the eve of polling for the Punjab Assembly, a citizens' initiative for cleaner politics, Punjab Election Watch (PEW), has pointed out that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) of the Election Commission of India do not provide an option for voters who wish to invoke the provisions of Rule 49-0 of the Conduct of Election: to "reject all" candidates. In a statement here, PEW has argued that the electors would not be able to exercise the option under Rule 49-0 directly and would be forced to inform the presiding officer, seriously impairing secrecy. However, the organisation has urged the citizens to shed their apathetic attitude and exercise their right to franchise, including the facility of Rule 49-0. It has also drawn the attention of the authorities and the people that the EC through its D.O. Letter no.3/ER/2004 dated July 5, 2004, to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had proposed that rules be amended to include a column, "None of the above", to enable a voter to reject all the candidates when required. So far no action has been initiated by the decision makers on this issue. The PEW has expressed concern over the poor turnout of voters during the 2002 elections in Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar which was recorded at 43.90, 48.61 and 52.28 per cent respectively. It was a clear indicator of lack of participation by the urban voters, who are presumed to be the informed electorate, in the democratic process. The group said voters often were in a dilemma due to paucity of worthwhile candidates and had no avenue to express their disillusionment with the system of governance. This led to many deciding against going to the polling station at all, making their votes vulnerable to misuse by impersonators. While there was no proper system before the voters to register their displeasure, as the statute did not provide the "Right to Reject", PEW has drawn the attention of the public towards Rule 49-0 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. The rule states that if an elector decides not to record his or her vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the respective entry in the Register of Voters, which is named as Form 17A. Such a vote is not counted as invalid but shown separately while declaring the poll results. The PEW is of the opinion that by exercising the option of 49-O, the voters not only prevent electoral fraud but contribute in discouraging disreputable candidates. However, it cautioned that while most presiding officers might be unaware of the provision, some may try to hoodwink the voters to avoid extra work.
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