NOTA scores high among Kolkata’s genX voters

TNN | Apr 13, 2014, KOLKATA: Every other button on the electronic voting machine (EVM) has a symbol and a party campaigning for it. The NOTA (none-of-the-above) button finally has a campaigner — the Election Commission.

EC officials have launched a drive to educate first-time voters in Salt Lake and Rajarhat about how EVMs work and explaining the significance of the NOTA button.

An EC team is carrying EVMs all around the twin townships, especially to malls and shopping complexes, and interacting with young voters.

The campaign, named 'Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation', started this week.

Officers of the Bidhannagar subdivisional administration said the campaign is getting good response as young voters are showing interest in EVMs — and NOTA seems to score big on the curiosity factor.

The NOTA button will at the bottom of the list in every EVM so that it is not pressed by mistake. "We are targeting malls to interact with first-time voters and many of them are particularly showing interest in the NOTA option," said an official.

The objective behind the campaign is not only to give an opportunity to young and first-time voters as to how the EVM looks like and how it functions, but also to generate interest about the polling process. "Young voters will get a chance to know beforehand as to how the EVM functions and what they need to do inside the polling booth," said an official. During the evening hours, the van carrying the EVM machines is stationed in busy places like malls.

A small LCD screen inside the van shows audio-visuals on the voting process — from a voter entering a polling booth to how he/she casts the vote. There are slogans and small posters on poll issues on the van.

The campaign started with City Centre II in New Town and has covered City Centre and the Big Bazar mall in Salt Lake. Next on the list are places like Bidhannagar College, Derozio College and the tech hub of Sector V.