Vijayawada: The participation of all voters in elections is key to protecting democracy, while the accuracy of the voters’ list is also equally important, a senior Election Commission (EC) official said here on Friday.
Addressing the collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) of all the 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma said every eligible person should be encouraged to exercise his franchise.
“It is important to create awareness and encourage all eligible people to enrol their votes and exercise their franchise…. Relevant measures to increase the polling percentage should be taken,” Sharma was quoted as saying in an official press release.
He directed the officials to identify the constituencies and polling booths that logged a low voter turnout in the past, analyse the reasons for such low polling percentage scientifically and initiate measures accordingly.
Adhering to the EC’s directives, Sharma instructed the collectors and SPs to conduct Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP)programmes.
He also directed them to ensure that all poll officials are properly trained and familiarised in election-related procedures and made accountable, without any room for error.
Meanwhile, the collectors gave a powerpoint presentation to an EC team led by Sharma on the preparations being made for the forthcoming polls, while the SPs briefed the officials on security arrangements.
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