Home voting
Also called: Vote from home · Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 5 "Universal Franchise and India's Electoral System"; Class 9, Ch 7 "Elections"
Meaning
Home voting lets some voters cast their vote from home, so they do not have to go to the booth. It is open to voters above 85 and persons with 40% benchmark disability (a certified disability of 40% or more). The voter applies in Form 12D. A polling team then visits, and the voter marks a postal ballot in secret. It was offered across India for the first time in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. It helps make sure no voter is left out because of age or disability.
Example
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, a 90-year-old voter applied in Form 12D. Polling officials came to their house and collected the sealed postal ballot.
Don't confuse with
- Proxy voting: Here another person votes on the voter's behalf, and only classified service voters can use it. In home voting, the voter marks the ballot themselves.
Related concepts
- Absentee voter
- Postal ballot
- Service voter
- Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System
- Proxy voting
- Prisoners' voting bar
- Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation
- National Voters' Day