Colour photos, large font: EC to make EVMs more voter-friendly, starting with Bihar election
Commission said the names of all candidates, including NOTA, will be printed in the same font type and size, large enough for easy readability
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Wednesday announced revising the guidelines on the designing and printing of the EVM ballot papers to make them more readable and voter-friendly, starting with the Bihar assembly election due in October-November.
These EVM ballots are the text-and-visual guides that have details of candidates as reference, while votes would still be cast using buttons on the electronic voting machines (EVM).
Here are the key details:
- The poll body said that the EVMs will have colour photographs of candidates, starting from Bihar assembly polls.
- The candidate’s face will occupy three-fourths of the photo space for better visibility, it said.
- The commission also said that the names of all candidates, including NOTA, will be printed in the same font type and size, large enough for easy readability. “The font size will be 30 and in bold for clarity."
- Also, the paper used will be of relatively higher thickness, at 70. For assembly elections, specific pink-coloured paper shall be used.
“The Election Commission of India has revised the existing guidelines under Rule 49B of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, for the design and printing of EVM Ballot Papers to enhance their clarity and readability,” a statement by the commission said.
“The initiative is in line with the 28 initiatives already taken by the ECI in the past 6 months to streamline and improve election processes and enhance convenience for voters,” the statement added.
