EC partners with banks, post offices for voter awareness campaign

In a bid to tackle the concerning trend of low voter turnout, the Election Commission on Monday roped in banks and post offices to spread awareness among voters ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The EC, acknowledging the significant apathy among urban and youth demographics during previous elections, expressed its commitment to address the issue by leveraging the extensive networks of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the Department of Posts (DoP) to reach a wider audience.

Over 30 crore of the 91 crore electors did not cast their ballot in the previous parliamentary polls.

Through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the IBA and the DoP, the EC aims to intensify its voter outreach efforts across the country.

The EC had recently signed an MoU with the Ministry of Education to formally integrate electoral literacy into the educational curriculum of the schools and colleges.

The latest initiative has been taken based on insights and knowledge gained by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar from his past roles and experience working in the financial sector, particularly in the Indian banking sector and India Post Payments Banks, the officials pointed out.

Under the MoU, member institutions of the IBA and the DoP will disseminate voter education messages through various channels, including their websites, social media platforms, and customer outreach programs. Additionally, voter education materials will be prominently displayed at office premises and major locations, ensuring maximum visibility.

To further engage stakeholders, member institutions will establish ‘voter awareness fora’ to facilitate discussions and initiatives related to voter education. The Department of Posts will also play a crucial role by affixing special cancellation stamps on postal articles, carrying voter education messages.

The Indian Banks’ Association now has a strong network of 247 members across the country. Public sector banks are in lead with 90,000+ branches and 1.36 lakh ATMs followed by 42,000+ branches of private sector banks with 79,000+ ATMs.

Regional rural banks contribute over 22,400 branches, while small finance and payment banks operate around 7,000 branches and more than 3,000 ATMs.

Foreign banks maintain 840 branches and 1,158 ATMs, and local area banks have 81 branches.

“The cumulative number of the branches are over 1.63 lakh with more than 2.19 lakh ATMs across the country,” the poll authority pointed out.