VWB covered by 'The Hindu'

Last we were interviewed by a journalist of ‘The Hindu’.  Voters without borders appreared in an article on NRI voting in the Election page of ‘The Hindu’

Please read 

http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/01/stories/2009050150021400.htm

Out of sight, out of mind
Amritha Alladi

Allowing non-resident Indians to vote in absentia is too cumbersome – Vayalar Ravi

When Suresh Subramaniam visited the Indian embassy in Muscat to find out how he could vote, he was shocked to find that there was no system to include them in the process of electing their leaders. Living beyond the borders of their country, Indian citizens find that once they are out of sight, they are not given a thought by their government. “There is no procedure available,” says Mr. Subramaniam.

He joins millions of others globally who are ‘disenfranchised’ by India. Non-Resident Indians, unlike the Overseas Citizens of India, retain Indian citizenship as they study or work abroad. However, once they have remained outside India for an extended period, they lose their “ordinary resident” status, as laid down by Section 20 of The Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950. Their names are deleted from the electoral rolls. Even for citizens on the rolls but abroad during the elections, the Act only permits the use of absentee postal ballots by some categories of people, such as members of the armed forces and bureaucrats stationed overseas.

It’s not that NRIs are prohibited from voting per se, says Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs. It’s just that the RPA does not allow them to use postal ballots. Plus, allowing them to vote in absentia would prove too cumbersome. “What electoral control can there be?” Mr. Ravi asks. “It’s not possible.” While the NRIs argue that this disenfranchises an estimated 20 million people, Mr. Ravi says the task of collecting ballots of such a magnitude is daunting.

Even the existing absentee voting system is inadequate, according to former Army medical corps doctor Major R.S. Rengan. “The ballot doesn’t come in time and there is no online facility,” he says, “Never once could I vote.” After serving in the Armed and Peace Keeping Forces for 15 years, Dr. Rengan says only since he left service in 2001 has he been able to cast his vote.

But Mr. Gupta says the Election Commission distributes ballots as soon as the list of candidates is finalised, although he admitted that by the time the ballots go through the unit officers, there may be some delay. When the absentee voting system has not worked properly for the Armed forces at India’s borders, can the NRIs expect the logistics for overseas voting to be worked out?

Vetri T.V., a brand manager in Shanghai, suggests using an online absentee ballot. “You send an e-mail to the government and verify your information. They give you a password and it’s very secure.” Others like Uma Mahesh V. in the U.S., says having Indian embassies distribute and collect postal ballots according to the electoral roll will make the process feasible.

J.S. Dattakumar, an accountant in Sharjah, says national security is the issue of primary concern for him. “I want to see some young people who will give importance to national security,” he says. “Allowing NRIs to vote would provide a global perspective, because they have seen how issues are dealt with in other countries.” Mr. Mahesh concedes that allowing NRIs to elect local MLAs is not practical. But electing MPs would at least help them have a voice in the Lok Sabha. The option of having a “virtual NRI constituency” has also been suggested by some people.

Remittances sent by NRIs is more than $25 billion, generating about 3 per cent of India’s GDP, according to Shivakumar Jolad of Voters Without Borders, a group of Indian citizens abroad. “This figure varies widely across States, with Kerala and Punjab topping the list,” Mr. Jalod says. Mr. Srivatsava reveals that NRIs have an online petition, urging Indian officials to include them in the electoral process. Mr. Ravi says he hopes Parliament will move to amend the RPA to address the problem of the NRI voter this year.

Where should I vote? Migrants confused (TOI)

Times of India news article march 9-09

Bangalore : March 31 is just a couple of weeks away. Chandru, a Bangalorean settled in Hyderbad for three years now, is worried. “I want to vote. But where? My old ID card is invalid as my name has been removed from the list there. Further, I don’t know if I need to register again here,” he says.

Sunil, a techie from Chennai who has been living in Bangalore for almost four years now, finds himself in a similar fix. “I’m yet to get my ID card done as I moved out of my home town to study and then landed a job elsewhere. Being constantly on the move, I really found it hard to register myself on the electoral rolls,” he explains, adding, “But, I do want to vote.”

Many like them have migrated and lived elsewhere for years — without voting or even knowing they need to update themselves on the electoral roll.
The rule says that on shifting to a new city, if you plan to stay at your new place of residence for six months or longer, you are an ordinary resident of this place and can register to vote from there.

There’s no accurate figure on the migrant population in the city. But, a rather common observation is that a majority of them, particularly college students and employees in software firms, do not think much about their right to vote. For many, life in a new city very rarely extends beyond accommodation, travel and fixing utility services. Very few make it mandatory to go for voter ID revision.

However, some others do make that effort. Like Mansi Murali, 23, who got a new voter ID card three months ago. “I had no clue about the system and the rules, but thanks to my husband’s insistence, I can vote now,” says this homemaker from Mumbai who moved to Bangalore two years ago. A few voters like B Inbaraj, a techie from Trichy in Bangalore for over two years, do not hesitate going back home for elections to cast their vote.

“The issue at large remains to be tackled yet as a very small percentage (15-20%) of the migratory population casts its vote,” says Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP and ABIDe convener. People seem to suffer from a general lack of awareness of their rights and apathy towards the place and the candidates there — many of them do not get too involved in it…[more]

Absentee Voting Elsewhere

United States of America

In the United States, an absentee ballot is a ballot that the voter records and casts at a place other than a designated polling station on Election Day. Registration requirements for absentee voting can vary from state to state. Most states and territories require registration to vote absentee. Voter registration and absentee request can be done at the same time by submitting a form. Typically these ballots are mailed. When mailed from any U.S. post office, U.S. embassy or consulate, or APO/FPO mail facility, the hardcopy voter registration/absentee ballot form is postage-paid.

It is recommended that in order to register to vote/request an absentee ballot, it is best done in January of each year, or at least 45 days before Election Day. Each State’s Secretary of State or Director of Elections is in charge of the election process, including voter registration and absentee ballot requests.

There is a cut off date for mailing ballots and it is determined by the local voting jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, postmarks do not count, and ballots must be received by a certain time on election day. In other jurisdictions, a ballot must have a postmark on or before the day of the election and be received prior to the date of certification.

Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)

Under Construction!

Germany

Under Construction!

Democracy in Orbit

Of the millions of American citizens eligible to vote this Election Day (Nov. 2), there’s only one who won’t be on the planet. But Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao isn’t letting that little detail keep him from casting his ballot.

Image left: Chiao gives a “thumbs up” on the way to the launch pad in Kazakhstan on October 13. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

Even though he’ll be floating around the Earth 230 miles up on the International Space Station, Chiao is not too far from the polls to stand up and be counted, thanks to a bill passed in 1997 by Texas legislators.

The bill sets up a technical procedure for astronauts — nearly all of whom live in Houston — to vote from space. (And here’s a bonus bit of presidential trivia: The bill was signed by the then-governor of Texas, George W. Bush.)

Here’s how it will work. An electronic ballot, generated by the Galveston County Clerk’s office, will be emailed to Chaio’s secure account at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Mission Control Center there will transfer the email to the Station using a high-speed modem via satellite, the same way they send all astronauts e-mails to the Station.

Then, Chiao will cast his vote and use a secure e-mail connection to send his ballot back to the clerk’s office to be recorded. It will be the first vote ever to be cast in a presidential election from space. But Chiao’s democracy in orbit doesn’t end there.

He’s using his unique experience to encourage others to exercise their civic duty. He’s sent a special message from space to all eligible voters urging them to go to the polls.

PS: If US can ensure voting rights for its citizens in space, can we not Indians settled outside the geographical borders of India have the ability to vote?

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/livinginspace/chiao_votes.html

Global Response

Our petition has received enthusiastic support from people across the world! Apart from US, Europe and India, we have people signing from countries such as Indonesia, Kenya, Vietnam and New Zealand. Their comments are highly encouraging (see comments in http://www.petitiononline.com/abvindia/petition.html) .See the Google map applet showing some of petition signatories across the globe.

View Larger Map

Petition for Absentee Voting in Indian Elections Petition

The common thread that weaves in and out of the any crisis is that the citizens of India have always stood up with or without the government support. But we need able, upright and visionary leaders to steer the country to a developed nation free of hunger, disease ignorance and lack of opportunity. Unfortunately we cannot custom create our leaders but we as citizens of India through the power of voting have the ability to make or break these leaders.

For us, the proud citizens of India, 2009 is going to be a crucial election year. As you are aware, many of us (such as NRI’s and people on temporary move) , being registered voters of India are not able to caste votes due to geographical reasons. As per The Representation of the People Act-1950, voter can only cast his/her ballot in a constituency only if, he/she is “ordinarily residing” in the corresponding area for at least six months prior to the polling date. We are being denied our constitutional right to vote and the right to participate in Indian polity due to our temporary residence. We feel that this needs amendments to allow ‘absentee voting’ in the largest democracy of the world. Non-resident Indians feel a strong urge to exercise vote and be a part of the democratic setup. We say “My Vote, My Voice”.

As a first step towards achieving this goal, an online petition has been prepared addressing concerned ministry. Please take sometime to read and sign the petition. Link to Petition http://www.PetitionOnline.com/abvindia/
Please spread the word and send it across concerned friends/organizations/mailing-lists or through networking sites like orkut and facebook. Questions, if any, contact us. we will be glad to answer. We sincerely look forward to a very eager and enthusiastic response. Let us say “Voting is my might birth right, I shall definitely have it!”