To reach out to potential young voters ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has partnered with the popular social networking website, Facebook.
“To reach to potential voters, especially in young age group who are on Facebook, a special drive has been jointly planned by CEO and Facebook India office,” said Punjab Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh on Tuesday.
A reminder to register their names for the forthcoming elections will appear on the timeline of all Facebook users of 18 years of age and above in Punjab on October 6.
The drive is part of the partnership between Facebook India and CEO of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand which are going to polls in 2017.
From October 6-9, 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 users will be directed to the National Voters’ Services Portal which will guide them through the registration process. The feature will be available for people on Facebook in Punjab on the October 6, for those in Manipur on October 7, for people in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on October 8 and for people in Goa on October 9, he said.
“It is imperative that all voters, not registered till now, must submit their forms in hard copy or online till October 7,” he said.
“Forms received later than that will be processed in January 2017 only. We are determined to see that no voter is left behind from registration,” he said.
CEO has also urged the voters to like the official Facebook page ‘The CEO Punjab’ on Facebook to see all future announcements and also to provide feedback or suggestion to the CEO office.
Facebook India Public Policy director Ankhi Das 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.”