While the five States across India — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand— are gearing up for the Assembly elections slated next year, Facebook, in its first, has partnered with the Election Commission and the office of chief electoral officers in each of these States to run a voter registration drive. The feature will be available for the people of Uttarakhand on October 8.
Welcoming the Facebook initiation, chief electoral officer Uttarakhand, Radha Raturi said that the youth being the future of India, it is very important to involve them in the biggest democratic process called elections. “Election Commission is conducting special drive across Uttarakhand to have the young people reaching 18 years on January 1, 2017 registered as voters. I appeal to the people from all quarters to come forward and enroll themselves as voters," she said.
In tune with the demand of the time, office of CEO Uttarakhand has come up with its own official Facebook page www.facebook.com/CEOUttrakhand to connect the young people and other voters. “Facebook has already verified this page. This page aims at effective dissemination of election- related information and to develop a live interaction platform soon in near future . CEO office has also started a twitter account @UttarakhandCEO,” Raturi informed.
With over 155 million people in India on Facebook, the ‘Register to vote’ button is designed to encourage the citizens across these five states to exercise their vote in the upcoming elections. From 6 to October 9, Facebook users in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand who are 18 years and above will receive a reminder in their News Feed to register to vote for a day. By clicking on the “Register Now" button, the people will be directed to the National Voters’ Services Portal which will guide them through the registration process.
Ankhi Das, director, Public Policy, Facebook India, said, “Every day we see the power of connecting people in big and small ways. We are proud of this and recognise our responsibility. As we grow, our connection and contribution to the economies and communities around us is increasingly important. We have a unique ability and responsibility to show people this reminder and deliver relevant information on where to vote.”
The feature will be available for people on Facebook in Punjab on October 6, in Manipur on October 7, in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on October 8 and in Goa on October 9.