There is a way to make yourself heard even by voting against ALL the canditates..
I have been made aware of this by Navin’s comment under the Lonely Planet Blog.
The ‘Conduct of Election Rules 1961 act, Section 49(O)’ of the Indian Manual of Election Law states that ” “If an elector ….. decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry …..”
Does this mean that we can excercise our franchise by collectively NOT voting for anyone, but to register a protest as a ‘No – Vote” ? Certainly a powerful weapon. How about the winning canditate claiming victory by saying :
Winning Canditate : 12 % of the Votes Cast
Loosing Candidate : 3 % of the Votes Cast
NO- VOTES : 85 % of the Votes Cast
Without the NO-VOTES registered, the satement would be as follows :
Winning Canditae : 75 % of the Votes Cast
Loosing Canditate 25% of the Votes Cast
Makes a huge difference to the perception of the electoral victory, doesn’t it ? Maybe we should have a constitutional amendment that says that if the No-Votes registered exceeds 50% of the total Votes cast, the election is null and void ??
So get out there in the next election and even if you hate all the canditates (probably) cast NO-Vote !!
Shekhar
“Maybe we should have a constitutional amendment that says that if the No-Votes registered exceeds 50% of the total Votes cast, the election is null and void ??”
You have my vote for having such an amendment in our Constitution, Shekhar. (pun intended)
If the No-Votes in an election are not reported, the results can show a very misleading picture.
I am reminded of a saying I heard a long time ago. “Statistics are like a bikini bathing suit. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital!”
Cheers!
Navin
with EMV.. cannot remember see NOTA (none of the above) options..!?. when I ask an officer while i was voting some years in chennai. he said that’s not possible
later I found website with below details but not sure same is valid.
No invalid votes: Inside the control unit, hidden from you, is an extremely sensitive circuitry that takes care of common election errors or malpractices like vote duplication. For instance, if one were to press two or more buttons simultaneously, then no vote would be cast. Even if there was a micro-second difference in the pressing of the switches, the EVM is sensitive enough to trace and identify the twitch that was press first.
I am under the impression that for a NO vote to count- an actual vote must be cast in the ballot saying that you vote for ‘nobody’- and that, in that case- if the votes for ‘nobody’ outnumber the votes for other candidates- a repoll must be called.
k
u are right Kalden, a NO vote must be be cast – not sure that a repoll needs to be called, but maybe u can educate us on that.
However most people that say “i do not have a single candutate that I would want to vote for” have a chance to go to the polls and and make that very important statement. Most people are not aware of tat, or I certainly was not. Shekhar
Hi, how I can send PM?
Air travel has become a major part of our society, with industries and individuals depending on air transport for their livelihood. But have you ever wondered what happens to the artifacts of our airborne culture when they’re no longer needed? More..
xrtst303a
Hi Shekhar,
Wish it were so, but it isnt! Check out the first comment on this blog : http://skprasad.posterous.com/article-49-o-in-constitution-o
That is the truth about the “Article 49(O) of the Indian constitution”. How disappointing, but unfortunately true! 🙁