The Election Commission of India has partnered with Facebook to launch the first nationwide voter registration campaign.
Owing to the immense popularity of the social networking site in India, the ‘Register Now’ button has been designed to encourage the Indians to register themselves with the Election Commission of India.
The registration will start from 1st July and will continue till 4th July and the voter registration reminder will be sent to people on Facebook in India who are eligible to vote. It will be offered in 13 Indian languages – English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, Assamese, Marathi and Oriya.
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“I am pleased to announce that the Election Commission of India is going to launch a ‘Special Drive to enrol left out electors, with a particular focus on first-time electors. This is a step towards fulfilment of the motto of ECI that ‘NO VOTER TO BE LEFT BEHIND’. As part of this campaign, on 1st July 2017, Facebook will run a voter registration reminder in multiple Indian languages to all the Facebook users in India. I urge all eligible citizens to enrol and VOTE i.e. Recognize your Right and Perform your Duty. I am sure this initiative will strengthen Election Commission of India’s enrolment campaign and encourage future voters to participate in the Electoral Process and become responsible Citizens of India”. Said Dr.Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India.
This is the first time Facebook’s voter registration reminder has been rolled out across India.
“People use Facebook to learn, talk and get involved with issues that matter to them. We want to build products that support this type of civic engagement – on Election Day and every day. We believe that democracies are stronger when more people are engaged – that’s why we are encouraging everyone who is eligible to register to vote and connecting them with resources.” Said Ms Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director for India, South & Central Asia.
By clicking on the “Register Now” option, people will be directed to the National Voters’ Services Portal, which will further guide them through the registration process.
