Policy makers need to Address Poor Voter turnout

IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism

It was a moment of pride for India when the world saw 714 million electorates (higher than the combined electorates of the European Union and the US) voting to constitute the 15th Lok Sabha in 2009 in the largest democratic exercise undertaken in the world till date. However, there are reasons enough for policymakers, especially the Election Commission of India, to ponder over the fact that only 59.7 per cent of the electorates turned out to vote in the five phases of the election. The picture is similar even in the case of state Assembly elections. The nation is happy that the fourth phase of the Bihar Assembly elections has just concluded in spite of a reported Naxal attack. But, only 51 per cent of eligible voters has participated in the voting process till now. This is certainly not a sign of a full-fledged democracy.

Voter turnout varies in India due to various reasons. Different states have different voter turnouts. For example, in the last Lok Sabha election, voter turnout in the state of Andhra Pradesh, with a population of about 70 million, was recorded at over 68 per cent, which is above the national average. Orissa’s turnout stood at 62 per cent while in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, it was as low as 40 per cent. However, the lowest voter turnout was in the 1952 Lok Sabha election which recorded a 45.7 per cent turnout. And the highest ever was witnessed in the 1985 election when 64.1 per cent of the electorates participated in the polling process. Even the 2004 Lok Sabha election saw a voter turnout of 58.1 per cent. Voter turnout is also different for different economic classes. The average turnout among the middle and upper middle class is abysmally low at 40 per cent.

The trends in the Assembly elections are not too dissimilar either. Voter turnout in the state of Karnataka stood at 65 per cent for the 2004 Assembly election. Turnout in the 2008 Assembly election increased by just one per cent. West Bengal surprisingly saw a high turnout of 81.49 per cent in the 2006 Assembly election, followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 72 per cent in its last Assembly election. Similarly, the state of Assam saw a high voter turnout of 75.83 per cent in its 2006 Assembly election. Voter turnouts in Gujarat and Rajasthan have been quite poor.
In India, the world’s largest democracy, voter turnout remains low. Countries like Australia and Malta, where voting is mandatory, see voter turnouts of 95 per cent and 94 per cent respectively.

Surprisingly, states like Chile, Venezuela and Czech Republic have turnouts of over 80 per cent. This leaves enough scope for India to consider the issue more seriously. Change is a unanimous demand and voting is in fact a national responsibility. Then, what is the reason for this indifference? Perhaps, a lack
of incentives. While mandatory voting is one way, there can be other means that the Election Commission can cultivate to spread awareness. Rest of the brainstorming... politicians, the ball is in your court.

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