Voter Awareness Initiatives
The expression “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” is only accurate when every citizen takes part in the electoral process. In a true democracy, every citizen participates in making decisions that affect both the welfare of the nation and their own. The right to vote provides the people of the nation with the ability to exercise their right to vote and to decide collectively, with the support of the majority, who they believe is capable of holding the highest office in the land. The electorate and the electoral process have, however, not synced well at times. The electoral process is not taken seriously by many voters, and they do not comprehend the gravity of their right to vote.
One of the strongest foundations of participatory democracy is the obligation of each member to cast an informed ballot. Therefore, there needs to be a fundamental change in how voters think in order for them to understand the significance of both the voting process and the significance of each vote in deciding the future of the country.
With elections just around the bend, B.PAC has made the decision to help raise awareness of voting and the benefits of doing so. The Voter Awareness Initiative was created in response to the need to inform, create awareness and encourage people to participate in elections and vote. Workshops, speeches, parades, cyclothons and marches/jaatas were among the events held as part of this effort.
National Voters Day, which is celebrated annually on the anniversary of the Election Commission’s establishment, aims to inspire young people to participate in the electoral process and become active citizens for change. With Karnataka State Elections around the corner, St. Pauls College in Bengaluru arranged a guest lecture on “Electoral Literacy” with speakers Mr. Raghavendra H. S., Programme Lead, B.CLIP (B.PAC), and Mr. Anand Tirtha, B.PAC Board Member, to instil this enthusiasm in young voters.
Mr. Raghavendra H. S. opened the session by emphasising the value of every vote, to a crowd of approximately 150 students.
The main focus of the session was on what a voter ought to do. A voter’s three most important responsibilities are:
a) To register to vote and ensure that their name shows on the list.
b) To educate themselves and make an informed decision.
c) To support a visionary candidate who offers more ideas than promises.
The students were guided through the “Voters Helpline App,” created by the Election Commission of India to foster enthusiastic electoral involvement, in the following portion of the session, which was led by Mr. Anand Tirtha, a member of the B.PAC Board. Around 60 new voters were registered as a consequence of the students’ own initiative to obtain voter identification cards.
B.PAC has conducted similar sessions at the following sessions across various educational institutes.
Voter Awareness Yatra
A few weeks before Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023, we launched a Voter Awareness Yatra with a canter that travelled across Bengaluru halting at several prominent junctions to catch the attention of the citizens. This yatra aimed to inspire and encourage citizens to exercise their right to vote and become responsible stakeholders in the democratic process for the elections held on May 10th. Through the Yatra, we emphasised on the need to preserve the integrity of the electoral process by urging people to not accept any money or other inducements in exchange for their vote.
The canter, with voter awareness messages, travelled across the 27 constituencies of Bengaluru; it started with the Rajajinagar Assembly constituency, and moved to Harishchandragad, Dyanandanagar, Prakash Nagar, and the remaining constituencies.
