Minimum age to cast postal ballots hiked to 85 years

Minimum age to cast postal ballots hiked to 85 years

Subject: Polity

Section: Elections

Context:

• The government on Friday, in consultation with the Election Commission, amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to raise the minimum age for senior citizens eligible for voting by postal ballot, to 85 years from 80 years.

Recent Changes:

• According to the electoral roll published on February 8, of the 96.88 crore electors in the country, 1.85 crore were above the age of 80.
• The rules enable postal ballot voting for a “notified class of electors”, which includes essential services workers, persons with disabilities, Covid-19-infected or suspected cases and senior citizens.
•  In Section 27(A) (e), senior citizens had been defined as those above 80 years.
• In the conduct of Elections Rules-1961, in rule 27A, in clause (e), for the words and figures―above 80 years, the words and figures ―above 85 years shall be substituted.

About Postal Ballot:

• A restricted set of voters can exercise postal voting. 
• Through this facility, a voter can cast her vote remotely by recording her preference on the ballot paper and sending it back to the election officer before counting.
• Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses are entitled to vote only by post. 
• In other words, they can’t vote in person.
• Voters under preventive detention can also vote only by post.
• Special voters such as the President of India, Vice President, Governors, Union Cabinet ministers, Speaker of the House and government officers on poll duty have the option to vote by post. But they have to apply through a prescribed form to avail this facility.
• The Returning Officer is supposed to print ballot papers within 24 hours of the last date of nomination withdrawal and dispatch them within a day.
• This is done so that the ballot papers reach the concerned voter well before the polling date and she has enough time to send it back before the counting day.
• Postal ballot papers for members of the Armed Forces are sent through their record offices.
• For members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses, the ballot paper can be sent through post or electronically. 
• For remaining categories ballot papers can be delivered personally or through post.
• The postal ballot facility had been extended to persons with disability, absentee voters who are working in essential services and senior citizens (above 80 years) for the first time in 2019, after an amendment to the Conduct of Elections Rules on the recommendation of the ECI. 
• Those who opt for the facility are visited at home by poll officials, who facilitate the filling up of the postal ballots.
• The whole procedure is done after informing the political parties and under videography.
• During the Covid-19 pandemic, the facility was extended to those infected or suspected to be infected with the coronavirus, starting with the Bihar Assembly elections in 2020.
• However, the ECI eventually decided not to extend the facility to those above 65 years.
• On August 23, 2023, the Law Ministry again amended the rule to take the eligibility back to 80 years from 65 years.