“Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep” - Mahatma Gandhi. Voting is not just restricted to electing our representatives only, instead we exercise voting rights from our childhood for trivial preferences. At that time, we may just get intimidated by the color, size, looks, taste etc. of the options and go by it. As we grow, every day, we are required to make various choices regarding health, education, career, finance etc. by assessing the pros and cons of available options. With this knowledge, voting should be done responsibly with utmost care in choosing our representatives who collectively decide how our society functions and create the country's future.We should not forget that how the voting rights have been historically denied to different sections of the society and how they had to fight revolutions across the world to get this universal franchise. This makes the voting right a precious one, but unfortunately it is undervalued and underutilized. It’s not just the right but also a responsibility. Voters are the ones who decide the direction of government through their representatives.

Voting is the fundamental aspect of democracy. There are varieties of democracy like direct democracy or indirect democracy. Examples of direct democracy include elections to state legislative assemblies and Lok-Sabha where people get to elect their representatives directly and includes decisions made in Gram-Sabha meetings. While elections to state legislative councils and Rajya-Sabha are examples of representative democracy, voting happens even in democratic institutions like parliament such as voting on budget, emergency, bills, war etc. Winning in the voting outcomes can be due to simple majority or qualified majority. In most of the democracies, first past the post in elections will be a winner. Hence, even a single vote matters and decides the representation. The qualified majority is mostly applicable in constitutional amendments and voting on the bills.

Importance of voters

In democracy people are the ones who make decisions and influence them through their representatives. Hence it is very crucial to choose their representatives wisely. Strong thinking skills of voters is important to ensure free and informed democracy. Critical thinking is essential for a healthy democracy. Voters need to make informed choices by analyzing candidate’s policy proposals, distinguishing facts and opinions. It is important to consider the reasoning skills of candidates such as decision-making abilities, problem solving skills, adapting skills, their mindset and willingness to listen. Visionary, empathetic and action-oriented representatives are needed to drive the nation through the challenges and opportunities of present and future. One thing we should never forget is that in a democratic country, change can be brought only through election outcomes.

Irrespective of one’s party affiliation or voting preferences, everyone should take part in elections to express their views freely and fairly. This is where people get to make decisions about what they care about. To expose the problems faced in society, popular participation in government is crucial. Participating in the electoral process through voting is the basic act of citizenship. Candidates and political parties present their proposals and agenda during campaigns. These can be questioned and vetted to elect those who represent common good, state integrity and public vision.

Reasons for poor quality voting

Before exercising the voting right, it is crucial to analyze the election campaigns and promises made. We should not get clouded by caste, partisan, money and populist politics which may give a momentary relief but infect the whole system in the long run. Usually, people vote for the most popular candidate without getting to know about his/her capability and suitability to do a job. In some of the cases, people end up in voting for the most charismatic or attractive candidate without assessing the abilities. In some of the cases, if a voter feels that the preferred candidate is not going to win, he/she may vote for second preferred candidate or even abstain from voting. This results in distorted real preference of voters. In some of the constituencies, dummy candidates are made to contest to mask the real candidates which results in vote distribution and distorted voting. This may give advantage to candidates who are skeptical about the election outcome. Some of the voters who are not happy with any of the contesting candidates may go for NOTA (none of the above) option which may not impact the election result that much.

Election is not just about the people, candidates or political parties, instead political agenda and ideologies are put to test and the outcome will be the resultant of public acceptance and popular belief. In most of the cases, code of conduct is imposed on the candidates by their respective parties to follow and only little room is left to candidates to express their will. Since candidates adhere to party directions and stand by that, they may or may not represent the preferences of their electorate. Some of the reasons the young voters are not voting is that they are less settled and transitory because of college, new jobs, marriage etc. compared to older voters. Yet young voters understand the importance of voting and are informed like any other voters. Behavior of voting regularly should be cultivated from a young age to remain active voters for lifetime.

Some of the important voting etiquettes or behaviors to be followed by voters and others during poling are:

• Should not enter the voting premises if not authorized
• Should not remain unauthorized in the premises after completion of voting
• Should not intimidate or threaten other voters, officials or observers
• Should not advertise political allegiance, distribute political material or influence other voters ballot choices in any way
• Should not be intoxicated
• Should not do proxy voting
• Should not refuse to surrender weapons before entering the voting station except for security personnel who are on election duty
• Should not threaten the security of election materials or secrecy of voting in any way.

If any of the above is violated, the returning officer or voting station manager is vested with the power to remove or arrange for removal of such people from the voting stations or take disciplinary actions.

Along with the above mandatory voting behaviors, some of the other behavior is advisable to be a responsible voter, such as

• Know your candidates and their suitability to the position
• Know your candidates or parties’ agenda and proposal to the constituency and collectively to the whole of the village, city, state or country
• Don’t get blinded by populist, partisan, caste or money politics and take biased decision in voting
• Vote early to avoid last minute rush
• Most importantly never abstain from voting until it is highly unavoidable
• Bring awareness among your fellow voters,neighbors, and first time voters about the importance of voting in choosing responsible representatives

Voters encounter charismatic leaders who influence their thinking and voting decisions. Before voting, people should understand the candidates or party’s proposed changes or improvements to the society. Failing to adhere to these may result in electing an unqualified person to the job. Especially young voters should be careful in exercising their right of voting and not abstain from it by thinking that their voting doesn’t really matter. It’s our collective responsibility to educate our fellow voters about the importance of voting for responsible, trustworthy, honest and respectable representatives into the legislature. Wisdom of voting appropriately can be termed as voting skills of a person.

“In true democracy every man and woman are taught to think for himself or herself.” Mahatma Gandhiji.

 

References

https://www.deseret.com/2010/11/2/20150177/teach-good-voting-skills-in-school

https://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/vo/vog/vog04/vog04a

https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/service-learning-toolkit-voting-engagement

https://www.insightassessment.com/article/voting-a-time-for-critical-thinking

https://www.castleton.edu/news-media/article/the-importance-of-voting/

https://www.nap.edu/read/25120/chapter/7#106

https://indivisible.org/resource/electoral-politics-101-why-elections-and-voting-matter 

IGNOU/studymaterials/mec/publiceconomics/unit-1

 

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