Election Process (Civic Awareness)

Unit 5: Civic Awareness

Lesson 7: Election Process

Introduction

Election is a legitimate process in which the voters choose their representative or participate in the decision-making process using their voting rights. Similarly, people can vote for any national issue which is called a referendum. The procedures to be followed and performed during the election are known as the election process.

Importance of election

(Election of the spirit of democracy)

·        To run the country through the people’s representatives, To make the government more responsible for people,

·        To ensure people’s participation in the political decision-making process,

·        To legitimize the government power,

·        To strengthen the democratic system,

·        To handover the power in a peaceful manner.

Bodies to conduct the election

(Following units are responsible to conduct the election )

a.     Election Commission: According to Article 245 of the constitution of Nepal, an Election commission is formed of five Election Commissioners, the Chief Election Commissioner acts as the chairperson. The Election Commission conducts, supervises, directs and controls the elections for the President, Vice-president, Federal Parliament, State the legislature and local bodies.

b.     Election Officer: The Election Commission appoints the Election Officers who conduct the election in different election constituencies.

c.     Polling Officer: Polling Officers are appointed to conduct the election in different polling centres and make necessary arrangement of the booth, security management, make the election in scheduled time and submit the ballot box to the concerned authority.

Electoral Roll: Electoral roll is an official list of the names and addresses of people of a specific area who are entitled to vote in an election. Election commission updates the electoral roll every year and includes the name of people who attend 18 years of age to ascertain the voting right of people as Nepali citizen,

Voter identity card: Voter identity card is needed for casting vote in the election. It includes the name, address, identity card number and photograph of the voter. It is useful to identify the real voter using biological characteristics such as fingerprints or iris patterns and prevent proxy votes.

Polling Station: Generally, public places like school, playground, etc are chosen place for casting votes during the election which are known as a polling station.

Ballot: The total number of votes that have been cast in an election is called a ballot.

Ballot paper: It is a paper consisting of the election symbols or names of candidates or political parties to stamp on it, fold and drop into the ballot box.

Ballot Box: It is a box where the ballot paper is dropped.

Election Code of Conduct: It is a set of rules or guidelines issued by the Election Commission during the election. It should be abided by candidates, political parties, government, public institutions, employees, mass media, INGOs, observers, etc.

Electoral System

a.     First-Past-The-Post: Electoral System: The system of electing only one candidate who gets more votes than any other candidate.

b.     Proportional Electoral System: The percentage of the popular vote won by the party is converted into seats.

c.     Single Transferable Vote Electoral System: Surplus votes of candidate with high priority shift to candidates with lesser priority in the same order the electorates marked their preferences.

 

Manifesto: it is the main document that voter must read before casting vote in the election. In manifesto particular political parties and candidate themselves announce their manifesto and promised to citizens for further development with the new plan. It includes the political ideology of a particular party that must accept democratic norms.

 

Remarks: This note has been made to help students in a particular subject. While making this; a student, SMIT RAI of Grade-X-2077 from CAMBRIDGE is helping me a lot and it is on the base of the textbook.

Ballet paper:  

Ballet box