News

• Among the many milestones recorded by Election Commission of India during the recently concluded Lok Sabha Election 2019, Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) is one of its kind.

About ETPBS

• It is a fully secured system, having two security layers.

• Secrecy of voting is maintained through the use of OTP and PIN and no duplication of casted ETPB is possible due to the unique QR Code in the portal https://www.etpbs.in.

• Through this system the service voters cast their vote on an electronically received postal ballot, from anywhere outside their constituency, thus reducing the chances of losing the voting opportunity.

• The purpose of the online system was to create convenient and easy-to-use online system for Defense Personnel to become Service Voters.

• With the motto of “no voter to be left behind”, Election Commission of India’s ETPBS has empowered and ensured all eligible service electors with their constitutional power to vote while performing their duty for the nation.

Who is a Service Voter?

According to the provisions of sub-section (8) of Section 20 of RP Act, 1950, Service Voters are:

• Those serving in the Armed Forces of the Union.

• Those serving in a Force to which the Army Act 1950 applies (Assam rifles, CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, NSG, GREF in BRO (Border Road organisation), CISF etc.

• Member of an Armed Police Force of a State, serving outside that state.

• Government officials deployed in Embassies outside the country.

Impact of the ETBPS

• Compared to 13,27,627 number of registered Service Electors of last General Election in 2014, a record highest number of 18,02,646 were enrolled as Service Electors in 2019.