The general elections to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha in India are set to commence on April 19, 2024. It will be held in seven phases and will continue till June 1, 2024. The results will be announced on June 4. As you may already know, only those above 18 years are allowed to vote in India. Till 1988, the age to vote in our country was 21 years but it was later reduced to 18 years.
1.85 Crore first-time voters in 18th Lok Sabha Elections
As per data provided by the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, there are a total of 96.8 crore eligible voters for this year’s general elections. Out of the total, 49.72 crore are male voters, and 47.1 crore are female voters. While 19.74 crore are young voters, that is, they are below the age of 29. Furthermore, 1.82 crore Indians will be voting for the first time, that is, they are aged between 18 to 19 years as of January 1, 2024. Out of this, 85 lakh are first-time women voters.
As per statistics shared by CEC Rajiv Kumar, the poll authority is preparing to set up 10.5 lakh polling stations across the country that will be manned by 1.5 crore personnel, and 55 lakh EVMs. Kumar said the Commission has conducted 17 Lok Sabha elections, 16 Presidential elections, and more than 400 assembly elections.
Why is 18 years the cut-off age for voting?
The Sixty-first Amendment of the Constitution of India or the Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1988, reduced the voting age of elections from 21 years to 18 years to provide an opportunity for the youth of the country to become part of the political process in the country. Ever since there has been a debate whether the voting age should be reduced to 16 years. While some point everyone must get an equal opportunity, others say that children can be influenced easily by their parents and peers and hence doesn’t make them the right fit to make decisions and vote.
One Quora user by the name of Jay Kumar pointed out that the “age of development and maturity in a common Indian household is far above 16. So in many cases, there is a large probability of the adolescent voters decisions being influenced or even manipulated by their familial or societal counterparts leading to the formation of voting clusters which is undemocratic.”
While another user, Goyal Arpit says that at the age of 18 students are more focussed on further studies leaving them hardly any time to make political decisions. “If we see hardly there are youths that care about voting in India (they may be interested in political chit chat). busy with their IIT, NEET, MBA, UPSC they hardly vote up to at least 22,” said Goyal Arpit.
In her research article, More Than The Vote: 16-Year-Old Voting And The Risks Of Legal Adulthood, Katharine Silbaugh, a Professor at Boston University School of Law says that allowing 16-year-olds to campaign and vote may exploit adolescents when they are meant to be protected. “Lowering the voting age will therefore undermine the protective commitments we make to youth in school, in the justice system, and in the child welfare system,” says Silbaugh.
According to a journal published by NIH NLM, in a survey conducted on Austrian citizens (where those 16 years or above can vote), the intention to turn out was relatively low among citizens under 18 in the 2009 EP election. It was lower than those between 18 and 21 while respondents over 30 had the highest intention to turn up to vote.
Did you know school children can apply to vote even before turning 18?
Even before attaining the minimum voting age of 18 years, school students can ask ECI to include their names in the voting list. How? As per the latest amendments made to the election laws, new voters who complete 18 years on April 1, July 1, and October 1 of any given year, and not just January 1, will be eligible for enrolling as first-time voters. Such candidates can apply in advance for the general elections.
The EC had also directed the chief electoral officers, electoral registration officers, and assistant electoral registration officers to work out tech-enabled solutions such that the youth can file their advance applications. As per CEC Kumar, the EC received over 13.74 lakh advance applications from students above the age of 17 but below 18 years on January 1, 2024.
Ways children under 18 can still contribute in polls
Earlier in January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a virtual address, said that it is the responsibility of the young voters to help make the country developed in the next 25 years in the same way the young generation during the 25 years before Independence had for its freedom.
So, till one attains the age of 18, how can one take part in polls?
Interested students can start by finding out reliable information on the election, candidates, and related issues. They can also discuss with their family members, and school friends about elections and voting. However, doing thorough research work is of utmost importance before forming any opinion. Keeping track of the news events daily and India’s political landscape can provide deep insight into the upcoming general elections. One can also volunteer on a political campaign to get a first-hand experience of how polls are conducted. Students can even communities with like-minded people and discuss their views with each other.
Students can also encourage their parents, and relatives to vote. Recently, schools in Uttar Pradesh have been asked to write to their parents asking them to pledge to check their names in the voter list and vote in the 18th Lok Sabha polls.
Who can vote in India?
Apart from being 18 years of age, candidates must be Indian citizens. Indians living overseas but resident at the address given in their passport are also eligible to vote. A person who is not a citizen of India cannot be registered in the electoral polls. Once a citizen who has enrolled as a voter, and receives a voter slip from the EC are eligible to vote.
Countries where the voting age is below 18
The legal voting age in most countries is 18 years. Apart from India, the voting age in China, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, the United States, Afghanistan, and Israel is 18 years. According to WorldAtlas, the the legal voting age for Nicaragua, Scotland, Austria, Guernsey, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Cuba, and Brazil, is 16 years while for Sudan, North Korea, Indonesia, Greece, and East Timor, it is 17 years.
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