The fuddy-duddy button

Elections are extremely confusing for all of us.

The fuddy-duddy button

Elections are extremely confusing for all of us. Earlier, most of us literatti would just decide, the hell with it, and say that we are not voting.

But in today's enlightened age, where campaigns like Jaago Re! One Billion Votes are telling us that it is our duty to vote, not casting your vote is completely unpatriotic.

But this doesn't mean that just because you have to vote you have to vote for somebody.u00a0u00a0u00a0

This rule states that 'If an elector... decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made...by the presiding officer.'

Of course, this has one drawback the presiding officer knows who you are, and that you voted for nobody, and this goes against the concept of confidentiality that is crucial for any election.

One option is that we could go in for a button that says 'none of the above'.

In fact, People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) has been asking for such an option and this matter even came up for hearing before the Supreme Court in January 2009.

Actually, this is a great idea. I think that we should take the concept one step forward and have a big red button on every electronic voting machine that says 'fuddy-duddy' in big bold letters.

If a voter believes that none of the people contesting for the elections is capable of taking his country forward, then he has to just press this button.

This has several advantages.

For one, you have voted, but have cast a negative vote, so nobody can misuse your vote and indulge in bogus voting. Secondly, it allows you to cast a negative vote with assured confidentiality.

But the greatest benefit will come if we could have these provisions worked in to the fabric of the law of the land.

If in any constituency a certain percentage of the voters let's say 20 per cent for the sake of argument press the fuddy-duddy button, then the Election Commission can be mandated to question political parties and ask them why they are fielding such questionable candidates.

Faced with such embarrassment, parties will try to field better politicians.

In some ways, this could be an important step in making democracy work in India.

While getting people to vote is the right thing to do, it is only useful up to a point because merely getting people to vote doesn't guarantee that you will get good leaders.

But one fuddy-duddy button may change all that.

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