A lot of senior citizens attend booths; DRO believes voting by mail is a choice, not a need

Even though the Election Commission allowed voters over 85 and those with disabilities to submit mail-in votes from home, a number of these individuals were seen visiting polling places to cast their ballots.

Many of them said that they were unaware of this alternative, particularly the fact that older people living in impoverished homes were required to go to polling places in order to cast their ballots.

Approximately twenty-five residents of a Helping Hearts-run home walked to Marappettai Vazhi government middle school in Pollachi because they purportedly were not offered the opportunity to vote by mail. Two of the ladies were older than 85, and five of the 25 people had special needs.

Walking to the voting place on foot was a ninety-four-year-old Saraswathi who had been a resident of the home for the last two years. The 55-year-old convict with special needs, Ilangovan, came in his wheelchair. He said that no election workers went to the house to get votes.

A staff member who works at the home, Vignesh, said, “We pleaded with officials to allow ‘vote from home’.” However, it didn’t take place. They were assisted by several political party employees in getting to the booth.

Kranthi Kumar Pati, a collector and election official, stated: “The ability to vote from home is only available to senior citizens who are 85 years of age or older. The prisoners in that specific residence, which was saved from the side of the road, lacked voter identification cards. At the last minute, a special effort saw them added to the voter lists and issued voter IDs. The “vote from home” application procedure had closed at that point.

Election duty workers visited the homes of those over 85 years old after receiving the voters’ list, according to R. Abirami, DRO (NH) and Election Nodal Officer for Postal Votes. Form 12 was given to them in order to vote by mail. It’s not required; it’s a choice. They are welcome to come vote if they would want to do so in person at the polling places.

In the Coimbatore district, 2,434 senior voters and 411 people with disabilities cast ballots from home till April 18.