Explain the reasons for low voter turnout in democratic countries with suitable examples. (UPSC CSE Mains 2019 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 2).
According to NGS Kini, voting behaviour can be regarded as the mode of legitimizing democratic rule. And although voting is an individual act, it does not take place in isolation. Votes are influenced by a host of factors.
Reasons of low voter turnout
- One of the reasons attributed to lower voter turnout in recent elections in Iran was voter apathy to the controlled elections. Voters believed that their vote would not make any difference.
- Election fatigue due to frequent elections also plays a major role. It was evident in the recent series of elections in Israel when voters stopped bothering with the casting of votes. Moreover, a heterogeneous community would see lesser voter turnout due to lack of solidarity. In India, voter turnouts in local elections are higher than in national elections because in local elections there are closer networks between people.
- Most of the migrants are unable to cast their vote in their states.
- Lack of enthusiasm among voters due to ideological issues, political parties performances etc.
- Voter registration is a cumbersome process and due to this the eligible voters are out of the ambit of voting.
- Lack of awareness about voting rights in low literacy areas.
- Often, in urban areas, voter turnout remains low due to laziness, holiday etc.
Road ahead
- The registration process can be simplified and make citizens friendly such as registration at
- Removing discrepancies in electoral roll and regular publication of updated electoral roll
- Blockchain technology can be used to increase voter turnout.
- Remote voting for migrants can be implemented in the whole country.
The Vote works like the democratic voice of a citizen. Hence, the citizens must cast a vote to strengthen the democratic ethos and also, the government must take all the steps so that no voter should be left behind.
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