subject: How a government can promise free and fair election? [print this page] How a government can promise free and fair election?
Our manual votingsystem has two flaws, first it doesn't guarantee free and fair vote casting and second it requires time and substantial amount of money to prepare the stationary and of course, all hours of hard work for the electoral commission to announce the results, after the voting time elapse.
In a developing country which is as new to democracy as old it is in enduring the stereotypical manual voting system, it is necessary that we seek new measures to eradicate the long going rigging that prevails and runs through an election campaign. An ideal vote casting system in Pakistan needs to remain independent from the pressures of any government or non government body so as to promise its citizens the freedom of vote casting on an unbiased basis. Unfortunately, no government or opposition can promise such independency unless and until it seeks to embed electronic measures of vote casting. Pakistan is fortunate enough to have switched from manual ID cards to electronic NADRA ID cards.
NADRA has devoted a whole decade of hard work to switch each and every citizen towards an electronic mode of carrying NIC, and is still working against time in pursuing every citizen of Pakistan onto the road of e-identity. From metropolitan cities to suburbs, the role of NADRA is worth applauding. But even then, how would you take full advantage of this e-identity if electronic voting system is not introduced in here?
Not only e-voting system can solve all our election problems, but it also could save days of hard work required in an election campaign, while at the same time assuring the nation crystal clear election results. E-voting is also cost effective when compared to costs incurred in manual voting system. It could help the voter to easily swap the ID card and a thumb impression to give recognition to the online voting software, after which the voter with a single click can cast his vote to his favorite candidate whose name appears in the list. Without a hassle of counting the votes manually, the software would do this for you, and within few minutes, the result would be announced. With heads high, all political parties can claim to participate in free and fair elections, the government would also be proud to have conducted free and fair elections, and above all those citizens who every election hesitate to participate in, just for the reason of carrying doubt towards free and fair', would whole heartedly love to participate in real free fair elections!
