Enabling voting rights for migrants

BIHAR, a state with the largest out-migration population in India, is going to elections later this year. This time, a significant proportion of the state’s population will be unable to exercise its franchise.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, voter voting in Bihar was 56%, which was much lower than the national average of 66%. Since more than half of the houses in Bihar have been exposed to migration in some form or the other, a potential factor to influence fewer voters was a large migrant population, unable to return home to vote.

Migration pattern

In 2021, the overall migration rate in India was 28.9%. An important part of migration in India is for marriage, especially in women. However, about 10%, migrate to work. This number is quite high in some northern and eastern states like Bihar. With the increasing number of migrants traveling from poor to rich areas in search of employment, the number of effectively disintegrated people will only increase, unless the migrants have mechanisms to facilitate voting. In an attempt to resolve the issue, public discussion has been held. The Election Commission of India (ECI) made a concrete proposal in 2024. But no mechanism has been implemented for migrants for voting.

Various types of migrants (intra and inter-state migrants) require a variety of policies and mechanisms to enable voting. Intra-state migrants (about 85% of migrants) working in the informal sector may be encouraged to travel relatively short distance to vote at their original place. However, they will need measures to support the government. Strict enforcement of statutory holidays on polling day will ensure that these workers are capable of traveling to vote without loss of wages. Special bus services can also be determined on the eve of the day of voting.

Different system

Inter-state migrants working in the informal sector are a large, growing and weak population and require a separate set of voting mechanisms. Three possibilities can be detected for this section. The first is an option designed to meet a large population of migrants in irregular and low-paying jobs, such as in the construction sector. In these jobs, workers may not have a permanent residence with address evidence. In 2023, ECI performed a pilot project of remote electronic voting machines (RVMs). Each of these was an EVM amended to complete 72 constituencies. Political parties objected to the project. He said that there was ambiguity on its functioning. He also cited problems in the identity of migrants and problems as a code of conduct in the constituency, where migrants were residing. The project appeared administratively difficult to apply on the scale: when a large out-migration population goes to the election, migrants currently across the country would need to inform the months of ECI in advance so that ECI can make necessary arrangements on polling day. If the ECI feels that in a given city, all 243 constituencies of Bihar are migrants, it will need to install at least four RVMs throughout the city. Administrative difficulties will only be complicated during the Lok Sabha elections. As the RVM proposal seems complex and challenging as the RVM proposal, it was the first major attempt by ECI to facilitate voting for migrants. With more counseling and fine-tuning, this system can have many benefits.

Another option is the postal ballot. This system is already being implemented by ECI to members of the armed forces. The expansion of this model can help many migrants. Here, also, ECI will already need to register with the body, so postal ballots can be issued. Operationally, it seems to be an easy form of remote voting to apply. However, ECI will have to organize registration, release polling letter, and these ballots will have to be dispatched to count the centers after voting – all major administrative efforts.

Final Options – Switching voting constituencies – is suitable for long periods for more permanent migrants that can prove their residence in a constituency for at least six months. The argument here is that long -term migrants of a region will be more concerned about the politics and policies of their residence. The ECI should make additional efforts to enroll long -term migrants from the informal sector at its current location. This will empower them to pressurize governments to implement more migrant-friendly policies. Although this step can withstand significant opposition from long -term inhabitants of the region, it will strengthen one of the weaker sections of the population.

Separate, there are women as a significant number of migrant population across the country who migrate after marriage, voting drives can also be done to enroll in voter lists of their new place.

A mixed approach

Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages. A competent voting by migrants is a complex task and is made more complex by migrants’ asymmetry. Therefore, an approach that uses all these options will enable the difference and an important part of both the intra-state salaried and casual migrants to exercise their right to vote.