Elections 2024-60 Countries Head to the Polls
This is the year—politically. More than 60 countries, which are home to over four billion people—more than half of the planet’s population—will head to the polls. These elections will take place at the presidential, legislative, and local levels and they range from the Brobdingnagian (U.S.) to the Lilliputian (North Macedonia.)
Last year, India hit a population of 1,425,775,850, overtaking China as the most populous country. There are another 29 million Indians who live outside India. The two numbers, taken together, make India a behemoth and what happens there will make its effects felt on other shores.
“As a rule, the diaspora population wants to remain active members of their home countries,” said Kathleen Newland, co-founder of the Migration Policy Institute, at a recent EMS press event. “They want to have a say in what happens there.” Technically, they carry a lot more weight today than they did in the past. In 1980, only 21 nations allowed their overseas nationals to vote in the home elections. By 2020, that number has soared to 141. Even so, how they can participate in those elections vary widely.
How do expats vote in an election?
Some countries make voting very easy by allowing people to vote electronically or at their nearest consulates and embassies. Countries like El Salvador and Moldova both have 25 percent of their population living abroad and they both make it comfortable for them to exercise their right to vote from abroad.
A country like India falls at the other end of the spectrum. Indians living abroad are required to cast their ballot in person, meaning they would have to return to India for voting. Arvind Panagariya, professor of Economics at Columbia University, who lives in New York, said that he expects to vote in person in India’s forthcoming elections as he will happen to be there during its election season. “I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to get all the paperwork done,” he added.
The Indian Election
The home country doesn’t offer much help in this area, said Newland. So, individuals must take the initiative in navigating the electoral landscape, which, in India, is vast.
Between April and May, as summer kicks into high gear, a “gigantic enterprise” will take off on its soil. Of its 900 million eligible voters, anywhere between 600 million and 630 million will vote. 11 million election workers and officials, including security forces, will to be deployed. To make sure that the elections are safe, they will be held in six phases.
India follows a parliamentary system of government, wherein the Prime Minister holds executive powers of the government. The Prime Minister of India is not directly elected by the people. Instead, the leader of the political party or a coalition of parties that secure an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha is appointed as the Prime Minister of the country. About 500 political parties will be on the ballot, whose candidates will be angling for one of the 543 seats in its lower house (Lok Sabha).
Because not all areas of India are connected by paved roads, electoral workers will be forced to travel by many modes of transport to get out the vote. To get to where they need to be, they will fly by helicopter, travel by train, sail on a boat, walk on foot, and even ride an elephant. In 2009, there was an instance of a polling booth being put up in a forest, for just one person living in the woods, said Panagariya.
The Indian Diaspora
The Indian diaspora is highly engaged on social media platforms. Just how will that impact the outcome of the Indian elections?
Very little, Panagariya said, the reason being, that electoral battles in most places of India are still fought in the physical space, even though people have technologies like WhatsApp. Newland echoed a similar opinion. “The number of overseas votes isn’t likely to make a huge difference. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading by a 60 percent margin in recent polls.” In a closely contested electoral fight, though, the voice of the diaspora may make a difference.
Yet, other ways influence. Rohit Chopra, professor of Communication at Santa Clara University said, narratives that circulate in the international space tend to get swept into political conversations within India, such as that about COVID-19, the deep state, and the like.
Interestingly, though, the master trope of India being a strong state and Modi being a strong leader has itself may have had its roots in the Indian diaspora.
Who is eligible to vote from abroad?
Every Indian citizen, living in a foreign country (for the purpose of education and/or employment) and who has not acquired citizenship of a foreign country and is 18 years old on January 1 of the year of the election(s) in India is eligible to vote.
A person has to register in the electoral roll of the constituency within which their place of residence in India falls and it is the address provided in their passport.
How to register to vote in India?
Overseas voters must fill out an application form called Form 6A (Application for Inclusion of Name in Electoral Roll by an Overseas Elector), which is available from The Election Commission Of India.
Where does this form have to be sent?
The Form 6A must be submitted to the office of the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the constituency within which the applicant’s place of residence in India falls. It can be submitted in person or sent by post. The decision of the office of the ERO will be sent to the applicant by post to their address in the foreign country and/or by phone.
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