Dehradun: As India gears up for its 2017 Legislative Assembly Elections across five states (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand), Facebook has partnered with the Election Commission and the office of Chief electoral officers in each of these states to run a voter registration drive for the first time in India. The feature will be available for the people of Uttarakhand on 8th October.
Chief Electoral Officer Uttarakhand Mrs Radha Raturi welcomed the initiative taken by Facebook. She said “Youth is future of India and it is very important that they take part in biggest democratic process called Elections. Election commission is conducting special drive in Uttarakhand to register young people as voters who will attain age of 18 years on 1st Jan 2017. I appeal people from all quarters to come forward and enroll themselves as voter”
With a view to connect with young generation and voters Office of CEO Uttarakhand has come up with its own official facebook page www.facebook.com/CEOUttrakhand. Facebook has already verified this page. This page aims at effective dissemination of election related information presently and to develop a live interaction platform soon in near future . CEO office has also started a twitter account @UttarakhandCEO .
With over 155 million people in India on Facebook, the ‘Register to vote’ button is designed to encourage citizens across these five states to exercise their vote in the upcoming elections. From 6th to 9th October, Facebook users in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand who are 18 years and above will receive a reminder in their News Feed to register to vote for a day. By clicking on the “Register Now” button, people will be directed to the National Voters’ Services Portal which will guide them through the registration process.
Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, Facebook India, said, “Every day we see the power of connecting people in big and small ways. We are proud of this and recognize our responsibility. As we grow, our connection and contribution to the economies and communities around us is increasingly important. We have a unique ability and responsibility to show people this reminder and deliver relevant information on where to vote.”
The feature will be available for people on Facebook in Punjab on the 6th October, for those in Manipur on the 7th October, for people on Facebook in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on the 8th October and for people on Facebook in Goa on 9th October.
