Ethics Case Study Part 1

You have been appointed by Election Commission as a booth level officer to oversee the conduct of elections in a remote and under-developed area. For the preparations of elections, you have been instructed to ensure maximum voter turnout. For this, you conduct a series of meetings with the people in villages encouraging them to vote in large numbers. However, they confront you with the fact that despite so many previous elections, the promises made by representatives remain unfulfilled and even the basic necessities of livelihood are not available. As such, they are ignorant of your appeals and are subsequently not forthcoming even to listen to you, let alone giving assurances to vote. Based on this information, answer the following questions:

(1) Identify the stakeholders in the situation along with their interests.

(2) What are the factors that you will take into account to convince the people and ensure maximum voter turnout?

Approach:

• Briefly outline voters’ low turnout as one of the challenges for effective functioning of democracy
• Identify all the stakeholders, at micro and macro levels, along with their interests
• Highlight all the factors that you will consider to convince people to vote

Answer :-

1) Democracy is essentially about the institutions that are directly or indirectly served for and by the people. In this, voting is the first step towards constitution of such institutions. Yet, due to inherently slow-progressing nature of democracy, at times, the public deems voting as an exercise in futility. The case study at hand depicts the same.

(a) The following stakeholders have been identified in this situation, along with their interests:

All registered voters of the village: All registered voters must vote, as only when they choose their representatives, development indicators will improve. Special groups of voters include:

▪ Women and youth – Since the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Plan of ECI focuses on women and youth to come out in large numbers to cast their political rights via voting, it is in their interest to participate in fair and free elections as they are critically affected by policies of elected heads.

▪ Elders: They should encourage others to vote to ensure a healthy democracy and development.

First time voters: First time voters should be encouraged to vote and spread awareness on importance of voting and developmental works. They are youth who are most affected by education, employment and health policies.

Local political parties/politicians: They should adhere to the Model Code of Conduct, Representation of People’s Act (1951) and practice free and fair ethical procedures. Mistrust of voters has put the electoral process in danger. This threatens the very existence of politico-democratic setup. Hence, their very interest is dependent on maximum participation of people.

District Collector: He/She is a nodal officer at district level to ensure smooth elections. Low participation implies that they have failed in their duty to conduct free and fair elections.

Election Commission of India (ECI): Maximum participation augurs well for the electoral process for which ECI is responsible. Mistrust of voters tantamount to limit on the capacity of ECI to ensure that honest and upright candidates are getting elected.

Nation: It is in the interest of whole nation that every citizen belonging to remotest part of the country is a part of the democratic process, else it may lead to dissent, dissatisfaction and anarchy.

Local Self Governance bodies: They have a critical role in educating masses about their duty as citizens to exercise their right to vote.

Myself: Being assigned to ensure voter participation, a failure on my part would amount to failing in my professional duty.

2) The factors that I shall take into account while convincing the people to vote are as follows:

• Despondency amongst voters because of which they think that no positive change is possible
• Lack of trust in elected representatives 
• Rigidity in their attitude towards utility of elections
• Limited understanding of the significance of electoral process
• Unawareness about the accountability mechanisms available to them
• Remoteness and under-development of the area

Thus, if their attitude towards the election is changed and their cognitions are corrected, I can convince people and ensure maximum voter turnout. This can be done through the following:

• Listen patiently to all the concerns raised by the villagers
• Encourage elders to vote and educate the younger generations about how they are the key change agents
• Ask Anganwadi and ASHA workers to act as micro level / grassroots agents to enable people to come out and vote and leading by examples
• Encourage youth and women voters to participate and also convince them that they should vote for the right person who they think can bring change
• Educate people that till the time they don’t participate in the electoral processes, they are also not taking charge of their responsibilities as voters seriously and therefore in order to bring about change it is THEM – the people of India who should participate
• Educate them about the use of NOTA, through which they can register their dissatisfaction
• Educate them on Constitutional provisions of elections as well as rights of citizens
• Highlight the problem of governance, communication and resources associated with remote areas and how bringing change will take time. I will bring to their notice examples of political leaders bringing positive change in remote areas through continuous efforts.
• Make them aware and learn about the use of tools like RTI, Social Audit, Grievance Redressal cells and websites etc. through which they can hold MPs/MLAs accountable even later. This will reduce their despondency
• Facilitate and implement SVEEP Plan objectives
• Apprise the SDM, District’s Collector’s Office of all the challenges and concerns raised by people during these meetings.

These steps are expected to yield results and ensure greater participation of people in the election.

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