Summary Revision of the Voter’s List, 2003
The Election Commission of India conducted a nationwide revision of the voters’ lists from November 17 through December 8, 2003. The revision was conducted simultaneously in all states across the country (except those going to the polls in November and December). The purpose of PAC’s information campaign during the summary revision was to utilise the medium of radio to broadcast details about the summary revision. The campaign was a weeklong intensive effort from December 1 through 8, 2003. Through radio promotions and information pamphlets, the campaign aimed to motivate citizens and voters to check the voter’s list and include their names on the electoral rolls. Telephone helplines were also set up to assist citizens during the revision.
Partner PAC collaborated with Radio Mirchi and other partner organisations including the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in Ahmedabad, the Catalyst Trust in Chennai, and Ms. Vinodini Lulla in Mumbai and Pune to organise an awareness campaign on the summary revision. Simultaneously, PAC also collaborated with Radio City 91 FM to organise a similar campaign in Bangalore and K.R. Puram. PAC’s local partner in K.R. Puram was Shree Sadguru Seva Samsthe, with which it had already worked during the CMC elections earlier that year.
About the Campaign:
• Ahmedabad: ADR volunteers distributed brochures across the city including well-known shops, residential/housing societies, vantage points, schools and colleges. Brochures were also mailed to 124 well-known companies in Ahmedabad and 43 companies outside the city with a cover letter addressed to the respectivemanaging directors.
• Bangalore: Four young volunteers visited 32 colleges and disseminated brochures under the College Awareness Campaign from December 1 through 3. Though feedback from volunteers suggested that, by and large, students appeared unconcerned about enrolling, some did contact PAC for further information on how to register.
• Chennai: Information booklets were distributed at the Catalyst Trust’s Citizens’ Centres. The organisation also published a news item in its monthly magazine, Kudimakkal Murasu, about the Voter’s Guide booklet and its availability at the Catalyst Trust office. Similarly, The Hindu and Dinamani published articles about the contents of the guide and its availability at the CT office.
• K.R. Puram: SSSS volunteers conducted door-to-door campaigns to distribute 8,000 handbills in 16 wards.
• Mumbai: 10,000 brochures were distributed free of cost at traffic signals and railway stations in the suburbs of Mumbai by a direct marketing firm called Just One on One. The Mid-Day newspaper published relevant portions of the Voter’s Guide for its readers.
• Pune: 6,000 brochures were distributed at all the Food World stores in the city.
Follow up:
While the campaign drew considerable interest in all cities, citizens faced the following problems in their efforts to get their names included, deleted or corrected in the electoral rolls:
- Lack of adequate publicity
- Short supply of relevant forms
- Non-availability of English forms
- Lack of responsiveness of election officials