Challenges and future of Electoral roll Management Ms

Challenges and future of Electoral roll Management Ms. Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan, District Collector & District Election Officer, Virudhunagar District, Tamilnadu presented in “Symposium on Best Electoral Practices” Bengaluru, May 12, 2010

Virudhunagar District – Profile Assembly Constituency No. of parts No. of Polling Stations No. of electors With EPIC Balance 1 202 Rajapalayam 169 191 156943 156936 7 2 203 Srivilliputhur 183 229 170556 170529 27 3 204 Sattur 173 204 159404 159361 43 4 205 Sivakasi 157 191 148568 0 5 206 Virudhunagar 142 192 143213 143125 88 6 207 Aruppukottai 177 207 158788 158726 62 7 208 Tiruchuli 182 234 159112 159100 12 1183 1448 1096584 1096345 239 Total Note : Deletion notices were issued by EROs to the 239 persons

Database Management v v Centralization of Electoral Roll database on an all-India basis – this is ongoing. The management of a technologically / infrastructurally error-free and hitch-free system is a herculean task because of its sheer size and dynamic nature. Security of the database from hackers and data entry operators.

Database Management v Data Entry Operators should be provided with Digital Signature for logging in. The software should logout automatically if the system is continuously idle for 5 minutes. v Stringent legal provisions especially relating to electoral database management against erring government officials should be introduced in RP Act

Database Management v for e-g. Whenever tampering / hacking with the support of any government staff is made out in a preliminary summary enquiry / examination of evidence by the ERO, the culpable person concerned should be terminated from service. He/she should be reinstated only if found fully innocent by DEO after a detailed enquiry to be completed in 2 months time from the date of detection of the crime.

Updation v. Insertions of new inclusions at the correct place along with other family members at the time of integration. v. Continuous updation of Electoral Roll and continuous integration in the database.

Updation v During addition in the database, for integrating at the correct place, a provision is to be made in the software to search with the help of Door Number and EPIC number of the relative in the same door number / nearest 2 houses. Columns should be provided in Form-6 specifically for this, the filling up of which should be made compulsory. v Ensuring disposal of each form 6, 7 , 8 and 8 A within 15 days and monitoring the same during continuous updation.

Updation v Continuous cross-checking across parts, ACs and States regarding duplication / double entry of voters and EPICs – electronically first and manually before deletion. v Continuous updation of Sections in Parts at least once annually based on maps prepared by the surveyors and approved by the local bodies.

Updation v Checking of Data Entry to ensure 100% correctness before integration – financial provision should be made for checking. v A permanent staff pattern consisting of an Assistant-cum-Revenue Inspector and a data entry operator under the direct administrative control of the CEO may be made at all Taluk offices. This should apply especially for Town Panchayats and Municipalities since more than 40% of Tamil Nadu population is urban.

Updation v Minimum 6 months experience in taluk / municipal election section either as Assistant / Deputy Tahsildar should be made mandatory for promotion to Tahsildar / Commissioner / Executive Officer level

B. L. O. s v Either a G. O. or amendment to RP Act should be provided for enlisting teachers as BLOs. Till then, whenever departments unfamiliar with election work like Noon Meal Organisers, Anganwadi workers are pressed into election work, funds and time should be allotted for at least 2 times the training classes for VAOs / Teachers.

EPIC v Continuous issue, replacement and updation of EPICs v It is not possible to make out from an EPIC to which constituency the voter belongs to currently and whether he/she has exercised his/her franchise. v Monitoring of distribution of EPIC and maintaining the back up of EPIC issue (to be collected annually) should be entrusted with DEO by rule.

EPIC v A miniature hologram indicating the year of election and AC number may be stuck on the EPIC on the day of voting in order to serve as 1) Proof for voting 2) method of creating voter enthusiasm. Simultaneously, there should be an indication in the database when the voter has exercised his/her franchise. Non voting for 3 consecutive General Elections should automatically result in deletion notices being served at the residences.

Scenario after Unique ID card

v Unique ID number should be incorporated into the electoral roll. When there is 100% coverage of the electoral roll by the Unique ID, it should completely replace EPIC number.

v Enabling linking and searching of databases using UID: birth register, death register, marriage register, hospital death records, family cards, bank accounts, driving licenses, passport, house tax, +2/college records, LPG connection, EB, Police records, employee lists in all organised sectors.

Databases should be linked with the service area concept so that an alert appears in the birth register whenever the person crosses 18 and a form 6 is automatically generated addressed to the person’s permanent address (If it is filled up and sent back within 6 weeks, the fact is crosschecked with other databases and included / not included in the roll).

Also an alert is generated in the electoral roll, whenever the UID has an entry in any of the linked database outside the service area of that particular part. If there are more than 2 such alerts, an automatic deletion notice is served to the address in the electoral roll

v Voting should be made possible electronically also, so that an Indian citizen can vote in the constituency where he/she is a voter, from whichever place in India from electronic polling booths set up in ATMs.

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