Relevance:
Union government in the Supreme Court said it was considering ways to facilitate non-resident Indians (NRI) to cast their votes remotely while ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.
About Remote voting:
- It refers to a mechanism that allows electors to vote from locations other than polling stations assigned to their registered constituencies — either within country or even abroad.
- Voting rights for NRIs were introduced in 2011 through an amendment to Representation of People Act (RPA) 1950.
- However, section 20A of the Act requires overseas electors to be physically present in their electoral constituencies to cast their votes.
Other mechanisms of Voting:
- Proxy voting –
- Introduced in 2003.
- A registered elector can delegate his voting power to a representative.
- Only a “classified service voter” which includes members of the armed forces, BSF, CRPF, CISF, General Engineering Reserve Force and Border Road Organisation.
- Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System –
- Here, ballot paper is transmitted through Electronic Means to the service voters.
- Members of the armed forces, police (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses; people under preventive detention; special voters such as the President of India, Vice President, etc.
Reference: The Hindu
