Context: Recently, the Election Commission announced the postal ballot facility for electors above the age of 65 in the Bihar Assembly elections would not be implemented.
Background

• A few days back, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that people above the age of 65 years and those under home or institutional quarantine will be allowed to vote by postal ballots during the Bihar elections as they are at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 infection.
• After the notification of the Law Ministry for the extension of postal ballots to electors over 65, several political parties had raised concerns over the decision.
• Political Parties argued that allowing those aged 65 and above to vote by postal ballot violates secrecy in voting as a large segment of the population is uneducated and they might seek assistance from others at numerous stages, ending up disclosing their preferred candidate. 
• This also exposes them to “administrative influence or influence by the Government or the ruling party. 

What is postal voting or ballots?

• It is also called  Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot Papers (ETPB) and under this ballot papers are distributed electronically to electors and are then returned to the election officers via post.
• The postal voting refers only to the means by which the ballots are submitted, not to the method by which the votes are counted.

Who can avail of this facility?

• According to the Election Commission (EC) of India, the facility is available to a service voter — that is a voter having a service qualification.
• According to the provisions of subsection (8) of Section 20 of Representation of People Act, 1950, service qualification means –
• Being a member of the armed forces of the Union; or
• Being a member of a force to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), have been made applicable whether with or without modification ;
• Being a member of an Armed Police Force of a State, and serving outside that state; or
• Being a person who is employed under the Government of India, in a post outside India.
• Recently, the Law Ministry, at the Election Commission’s behest, introduced a new category of ‘absentee voters’, who can now also opt for postal voting.

How are votes recorded by post?

• The Returning Officer is supposed to print ballot papers within 24 hours of the last date of nomination withdrawal and dispatch them within a day.
• This is done so that the ballot papers reach the concerned voter well before the polling date and she has enough time to send it back before the counting day.
• Postal ballot papers for members of the Armed Forces are sent through their record offices. For members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses, the ballot paper can be sent through post or electronically.
• After receiving it, the voter can mark her preference with a tick mark or cross mark against the candidate’s name. They also have to fill up a duly attested declaration to the effect that they have marked the ballot paper.
• The ballot paper and the declaration are then placed in a sealed cover and sent back to the Returning Officer before the time fixed for the commencement of counting of votes.