Everything you wanted to know about Voter Registration, but didn’t know whom to ask…
This piece talks about our inability to voice concerns, campaign for what is right and ensure healthy governance through the power to vote. I won’t dwell too much about why your vote is important. Instead, I will try and answer the most frequently asked questions by election pessimists…
Politics is the last resort of scoundrels. So why should I vote and encourage such a breed?
That’s just a quotable quote that people love to use. However, if you need to make changes at the grassroot level and make an impact on the policies of the government and steer it in the right direction, it’s important to be part of it by voting out the rogues and bringing in the cultured.
But, everyone is bad. So who do I vote? Best of the worse?
Yes, you should. The more you feel responsible, the more you will think before voting. And if this feeling gets to you (that everyone is bad), you will raise a voice against it and maybe sponsor good people to get elected or even contest yourself. Wouldn’t this better the scenario?
At the core, every party is communal. So how do I pick and choose?
Go by your priorities. Do you want to vote a good candidate irrespective of the party he belongs to or do you want to vote for a party that promises stability for one and all. Just like you go all out to find out the background of every stock and share before investing in it, do the same with each of the parties and candidates. This investment in time will help you reap rich dividends later with good governance. Because a better regime means a more efficient infrastructure, less of bureaucratic red tape, a healthier economy and a better standard of living.
Please give me details of my polling station and assembly constituency. Who do I contact for these details?
This would be possible only when you give your complete address at the reception or enquiry of the electoral registration office. If you want the address and telephone numbers of Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, you could get it here: http://stg1.kar.nic.in/searchfinalroll_2009.
But I don’t know if my name is on the voter’s list?
Find out. Just log on to http://stg1.kar.nic.in/searchfinalroll_2009 and search by Assembly constituency. I would not advise you to search by Voter ID Card number or by your name because it might not work. If you want more information on a range of other things related to elections and Voter ID cards, you could visit http://www.ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in.
Is there any electoral ombudsman who can make things easier for me?
Yes, you could register on Jaagore.Com. Once you do, you will be updated on your voter registration status, election related news of your city and reminders on Election Day with your polling booth details. That aside, you also get an opportunity to be a volunteer to spread the word. You can run a community registration drive, campus drive or even an office registration drive through this non-profit, non-partisan campaign that does not support any political party or candidate. The only idea is to get as many people motivated to register and vote. If not this time, then next.
I have lost my old I Card. How can I get a new one?
You can deposit a copy of your FIR lodged at your neighbourhood police station. You will get a new I Card after you deposit Rs 25. The dates for issuing I Cards are published in leading newspapers and at offices of the Joint Chief Election Commissioner and District Commissioner. Cards are issued through the year.
Why vote?
Well, how else will you make your voice heard? We all have ISSUES with the way things function. Let’s do something about it!
The author of this blog post runs Write Wing Publishers Private Limited that syndicates content for publications in India, Singapore and the US. He was earlier the City Editor of MiD DAY, the daily tabloid in Bangalore and before that, The Chief of Bureau of Explocity.Com that is powered by Rupert Murdoch’s Star Network.