This document proposes a solution called "Absentee Voting for All" to address the problem of declining voter turnout in India due to many citizens not being present in their home constituency on election days. The key aspects of the proposed solution are: 1) Citizens would be able to apply for and receive a Special Voting ID Card that contains encrypted voter information and a QR code. 2) On election days, citizens could vote at special polling stations set up across the country where election officials would verify their identity using the QR code and allow them to cast an absentee vote for their home constituency. 3) Votes would be recorded on a Modified Electoral Voting Machine and transmitted electronically to

1. Team: Harbingers of Change
Shaikh Tariq Mobin
Prabartika Sahoo
Sourabh Seth
Pallabi Mishra
Prakash Sarangi
Topic:
OMNIPRESENT VOTING
Main theme:
Fairness at play: introducing
electoral reform to reduce the
influence of money and muscle
power in politics

2. 0
500
1,000
1,500
2009
2004
1999
1998
1996
Millions
Total vote
Voting age
population-
Population
DEMOCRACY => ELECTION => VOTING
ELECTIONS ARE HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL
IF THE VOTER TURNOUT IS HIGH.
54.00%
56.00%
58.00%
60.00%
62.00%
64.00%
2009
2004
1999
1998
1996
Voter Turnout
Voter
Turn-out
In reference to the above graphs :
• Voting Age Population (VAP) has increased over the years by a huge number.
• But the VOTER TURNOUT has significantly decreased over the same time.
INFERENCE : Present Voting System is becoming unfavorable to a large section
of the population

3. REASON FOR DECLINE
IN VOTER TURN OUT
Lack of Awareness
and Interest
Remedy: Create
awareness among
people through Print
and online social media
Migration to places
different from home
constituency.
Unsettled
Population
• A large part of this population is mostly mobile and does not get
settled at any place
• So either they do not make their Voter ID Card or even if they have
a voter ID card, they are not present at their home constituency at
the time of vote.
• Most of these unsettled and migrating population are not able to
cast their votes because
 Some of them can‘t afford to come just for one day .
 Many People feel Reluctant to travel for this cause.
 Even if they are willing to come, their authorities won‘t
allow.

4. • From the above comparison it can be seen that
• Around 35% of the Migrants are ― NOT LITERATE ― including Daily Wage Labourers
& other workers in Informal sector etc.
• Rest of the Migrants are ― LITERATE ― which include Employed Personnel, Graduates,
Diploma holders etc.
Distribution (per 100) of Migrants by Reason
for Migration during 2007–2008, all India
Migration rate (per 1000) by broad level of
general education during 2007–2008 , all India
• According to the census of 2001, 41% of the population of India is Youth and this trend is
expected to last till 2050.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Employment Studies Marriage Movement
of
Parents
Other
male rural
female rural
male urban
female urban
0 200 400 600 800
Not literate
Literate and
up to middle
Secondary and
higher secondary
Diploma/
Certificate
Graduate
and above
Persons
Female
Male

5. Problem Statement
The threat to democracy in India due to lack of any provision ensuring
voting rights to the citizens of India not present in their home
constituency.
Solution
This problem can be solved by providing the right of Voting to the
people not present in their constituency by our Program ― Absentee
Voting for All‖
― Absentee Voting for All‖ allows them to vote for their home
constituency from any part of the country by using innovation in
Technology and Management

6. Implementation
• Apply for Absentee Voting for All
 Make Special Voting ID Card (SVIC)
Login to chief Electoral office Webpage
(e.g. Odisha:http://www.ceoorissa.nic.in/)
Or
Contact nearest Electoral roll booth to make SVIC
#Application for ―Absentee Voting for All‖ makes eligibility at
resident constituency null and void ,and vice versa.
Special Voting ID Card
(SVIC)
Voting ID Card along
With QR code which
Contains the information
In Encrypted format to be
Read by QR reader
Pre-Election
• Stage 1: Special Polling station
 QR code reader reads the Voter Information
from SVIC and sends to the Computer
 Computer Checks the Code with Server
 Computer displays Personal Information of card
holder for Inspection
 Mark on finger put after successful verification
Election
Voter
Information
Server
PASS FAIL
IN Supervision of Election Officer

7. Implementation
• Stage 2: Special Polling station
 Special QR code reader reads only the constituency and
signals the Modified Electoral Voting Machine(MEVM)
 MEVM displays the serial number, candidate name and
corresponding Party symbol for the voter‘s constituency.
Election
• Stage 3: Polling Booth
 Voter presses the button in Balloting Unit
corresponding to his/her desired candidate.
 The red light glows for 10 seconds.
 If sure, voter can press ―OK‖.
 If not Sure, voter can press ―Cancel‖ and Press
another button.
 After 10 seconds OK is automatically assumed.
 The selection gets recorded in Control Unit
In Utmost Privacy inside Polling Booth
IN Supervision of Election Officer
MEVM
Modified Electoral Voting Machine
(MEVM)
MEVM is an upgraded
Electoral Voting Machine
with Digitized screen
Whose Contents of display
can change as per Special
QR code reader input and
Added Cancel/Select Vote
Option
Balloting Unit
Control Unit

8. Implementation
• Counting
 Assembly of all Counting machines at District Vote
Counting Centre from all Polling booths
 Compilation of Votes
 Display of votes of each candidate.
 Transfer of Vote Result to the State/Central Vote
compilation center through Internet.
 Publication of Final Result by State/Central Vote
compilation center.
Post-Election
Polling Stations
• For State Legislative Assembly Elections
 General Polling Station in the respective state
 Special Polling Station at all Sub Districts (5564 as per
Census 2011) and Special locations due to Voter population as
determined by Chief Election Commissioner.
• For Lok sabha elections
 General Polling station throughout the Country
 Special Polling system at all Districts (593 as per Census
2011) and Special locations due to Voter population as
determined by chief election commissioner.
State/Central Vote
Compilation Center
District Vote
Counting
Center
General
Polling
Station
Special
Polling
Station
District Vote
Counting
Center
General
Polling
Station
Special
Polling
station
Display
of Votes
Votes sent for
central counting
Publication
of Final
Result
EVM sent to
Counting Center

9. Organization Structure
President
Helper (3)
Security
Operator
Vice. President
Technical
Head of
Department
Vice. President
Statistics
Head of
Department
Existing System
of Organization
At district vote
counting center
Existing System
of Organization
At General Polling
station
Chief Presiding
Officer
Helper (3)
Security
Operator
Asst. Presiding
officer(1)
Existing System of
Organization At
General Polling station
Existing System of Organization
At State/Central vote counting center
Auxillary System of
Organization At
Data Centres
Data Centres are Auxillary bodies that contain
supercomputers to manage the heavy data traffic
during Elections

10. Financial Estimates (in Rupees)
Total Expenditure Rs.230 Crores (1st Time)
TECHNOLOGY
COST
LOGISTICS
COST
ORGANIZATION
COST
COMPUTER + UPS +
BAR CODE READER
INTERNET COSTS
MEVM
2 X SUPER COMPUTERS
4 X DATA CENTRES
3,000
23,000
8,000
70,00,00,000
40,00,00,000
PER
BOOTH
CENTRALIZED
COSTS
5564 BLOCKS
X
5 BOOTHS/BLOCK
APPROX. 95
CRORES
TRANSPORTATION
COSTS
40,000 PER BLOCK APPROX. 23 CRORES
1 PRESIDING OFFICER
1 ASST. PRESIDING OFFICER
5 COMPUTER OPERATORS
3 HELPERS
5 SECURITY OFFICERS
PER
BLOCK
1 X 1000
1 X 900
5 X 700
3 X 500
5 X 600
5564 BLOCKS
X
9,700/BLOCK
APPROX. 5
CRORES
DATA CENTRES AND SUPER
COMPUTER MANAGEMENT
2 CRORES
205
CRORES
23 CRORES
2 CRORES

11. IMPACT AND REACH
• Increase in the voter turnout by around 25% or above from
the present Voter turnout of 58%(according to 2009 Lok
Sabha Election)
• Increase in Transparency because of public release of vote
counts at each step of Election procedure.
• Reduction in influence of Muscle or Money power as voters
are away from home constituency.

12. CHALLENGES AND
MITIGATION
• Absence of proper infrastructure
and erratic power supply
• Unavailability of Internet facility
• Less experience of polling
officials and operators in
handling computerized
technologies
• Hacking of the EVM and
manipulation of votes.
CHALLENGES MITIGATION
• Erratic power supply problem is
solved by conventional power
backup and solar power system
• Setting up polling station only in the
sub-divisional offices (Internet
facility already available)
• Proper training programs prior to
the elections
• The EVM and counting machines
are independent system and are not
connected to internet.

13. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Voter turn out data by http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?id=105 accessed on 4.09.13.
• Computations based on NSS, Round 64, Schedule 10, Individual-level data.
• de Haan, A., 2000, ‗Migrants, Livelihoods and Rights: The Relevance of Migration in Development
Policies‘, Journal of Development Studies, vol. 36 no. 2, pp. 1–47.
• Deshingkar P., R. Khandelwal, J. Farrington, 2008, ‗Support for migrant workers: The missing link
in India‘s development‘, in Natural Resource Perspectives, 117, London, Overseas Development
Institute.
• —. 2011b,‗Internal Migrants and Social Protection in India: The Missing Links‘, paper
• presented at UNESCO-UNICEF National Workshop on Internal Migration and Human
• Development in India, 6–7 December 2011, ICSSR, New Delhi.
• Standing Committee on Finance, Fifteenth Lok Sabha, 2011, ‗Ministry of Planning – The National
Identification Authority of India Bill 2010‘, 42nd Report, December, New Delhi: Lok Sabha
Secretariat.