Proxy voting
Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Proxy voting lets a voter name another person, called a proxy, to vote for them. In India only classified service voters can do this. These are mainly members of the armed forces who are posted far from home. The proxy goes to the polling station in the voter's home constituency and votes there on the voter's behalf. This matters because a soldier on duty can still take part in the election without travelling home.
Example
A soldier from a village in Bihar is posted at a border post during the Lok Sabha election. Before the poll, the soldier names a family member as proxy. On polling day, that family member votes in the soldier's place at the village polling station.
Don't confuse with
- Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS): under ETPBS (2016), the service voter gets the ballot electronically, then prints it, marks it and posts it back. With proxy voting, someone else votes in person for them.
- Absentee voter postal ballot: this is for voters above 85, persons with disability and notified essential-service workers. They vote by post or from home themselves. No one votes on their behalf.
Related concepts
- Absentee voter
- Home voting
- Postal ballot
- Service voter
- Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System
- Prisoners' voting bar
- Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation
- National Voters' Day