The first- of- its- kind home voting facility especially for the elderly and people with disabilities concluded in the Ranchi parliamentary constituency on Saturday. As many as 322 senior citizens above the age of 85 and 118 People with Disabilities (PwD) cast their ballots using the home voting facility which kicked off on May 15 and concluded on May 18.
“Elderly individuals above 85 years of age and PwDs with 40 percent disability who were willing to vote from the convenience of their home were asked to fill out form 12D to avail the home voting facility this election. The initiative has been implemented with an aim to ensure accessibility and convenience to all voters. It also ensures that voters can participate in the election process with ease and dignity, eliminating the need to visit polling stations,” said Bivek Kumar Suman, Deputy Election Officer, Ranchi.
As per statistics shared by the election office, a total of 28344 voters registered are senior citizens and 22028 are the number of voters with disabilities. People with Disability (PwD) need to present a certificate issued by the civil surgeon and his team stating a minimum of 40 percent disability to avail the home voting facility. A total of 32 teams consisting of sector office, micro observer, polling officers, videographer, booth level officer and security personnel were deployed to visit the home electors and enable their participation.
On the voting day- May 25, to ensure ease to voters, special measures such as transportation to polling stations, installation of ramps, provision of wheelchair, Braille enabled electronic voting machines, volunteers for assistance and sign language interpreters are being implemented at all polling stations by the district administration.
“The home voting facility was seamlessly organised. My grandparents who cannot visit the polling booth had initially thought that their votes would go waste but with this system in place, they were quite delighted to participate in the election and cast their vote,” said Devika, a City based resident who had availed the home voting facility for her elderly grandparents.