This is a big change in the Election Commission of India that has announced a big reform in the design of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) ballot paper, starting with the impending Bihar Assembly Elections. It is the first time that candidates will be printed on coloured photographs printed on EVMs ballot papers rather than black-and-white ones. The shift will bring in more clarity, eliminate voter confusion, and make voting easier, particularly for voters who struggle with identifying candidates on the basis of their name alone.
According to the new regulations, the photograph of the candidate will take almost three-fourths of the space that is assigned so that the face can be easily spotted by the voter. This has been accompanied by a number of other design enhancements. Candidates’ serial numbers as well as a NOTA option will be printed in a bigger font and more bolder typeface since they will be in the international form of Indian numerals with a larger font size for better readability. All candidates, along with the name of NOTA, will be printed in the same font and font size to ensure consistency throughout the ballot paper.
The Election Commission has also improved the ballot paper material as the product of choice is 70 GSM paper, which is more durable and has a higher quality of printing. In the case of assembly elections such as the Bihar polls, the ballot papers would be printed in pink colour with definite RGB values to maintain consistency. The process will be smoother and more transparent since these changes will be visible to the voter when he/she casts his/her vote on the EVMs.
The development is based on complaints that have been witnessed in past elections, where voters would actually have trouble identifying the candidates because they had similar names, the quality of the printing used was poor, or there was a lack of clarity in photos. The Commission believes that through the use of coloured pictures and better formatting, errors can be reduced, voter confidence will be enhanced and also make the electoral process will be even more credible.
The officials have asserted that the first state to implement these redesigned ballots will be Bihar, and it will be followed by the adoption in the subsequent states and national elections. The new guidelines will demand that political parties and candidates provide good-quality coloured photographs as part of their nomination process to satisfy the requirements.
The Election Commission feel that the new format not only serves the interest of the voters but also remains fairer, and the presentation of the candidates remains uniform. As the first state to roll out the reforms, Bihar is a great leap in ensuring that India’s electoral system is more modernized in terms of technology and voter-focused design to ensure that democracy is more accessible and transparent.
