Ballot is a device used for voting in an election. It provides the list of candidates contesting the election and allows voters to indicate their choice.
Various types of voting:
- Open Ballot System: It is a system where the choice of voters is displayed openly. In India Open ballot system is used in Rajya Sabha elections.
- Secret Ballot System: It is a system where a voter’s choices are confidential. For example, in General elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
- Postal Ballot: It is a facility, where voter can cast her vote remotely by recording her preference on the ballot paper and sending it back to the election officer before counting.Following restricted set of voters can exercise postal voting:
- Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses are entitled to vote only by post. In other words, they can’t vote in person.
- Voters under preventive detention can also vote only by post.
- Special voters such as the President of India, Vice President, Governors, Union Cabinet ministers, Speaker of the House and government officers on poll duty have the option to vote by post. But they have to apply through a prescribed form to avail this facility.
- New category of ‘absentee voters’: These are voters employed in essential services and unable to cast their vote due to their service conditions can also opt for postal ballot. For example, officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Northern Railway (Passenger and Freight) Services and media persons are notified as absentee voters.
