Far from home, young workers may skip voting

Gen-Z, millennial and boomer voters who are far from home may miss their chance to vote

Updated: May 4th, 2024


With just a couple of days to go before Gujarat votes in the Lok Sabha elections and bye-polls. The Election Commission of India is facilitating ‘voting from home’ via postal ballots for octogenarians and persons with disabilities (PwDs).

However, Gen-Z, millennial and boomer voters who are far from home may miss their chance to vote.

Being an education, IT (information technology), business and service sector hub. Ahmedabad sees a lot of youngsters within the state shifting base to the city for work or education purposes. They are not able to visit their native place this time to vote for various reasons. 

“I do want to vote this time, but I work at a private sector digital media company in Ahmedabad and might find it difficult to get leave,” says Hiren Joshi, a registered voter from Mahua in Bhavnagar.

Stuti Shukla, a first-time voter and social media intern in an Ahmedabad-based private company, says, “Even though I have a voter ID, I may not travel an exhaustive 7 to 8-hour journey to Kutch and return in a day.”

“It may not sound feasible, but the government should think about a convenient option of online voting for people who cannot travel far, leaving their jobs,” adds Shukla.

Talking to Gujarat Samachar (Digital), the state joint chief electoral officer (CEO) Ashok Patel said, “Regardless of how far the constituency is, one must exercise their franchise. And if they cannot, they should register themselves in the city of their current residence.”

He also informed that Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, allows a complaint against an employer of any sector who rejects the employee’s leave on the day of polling.

According to Section 135B, “no deduction or abatement of the wages of any person employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking, or any other establishment and entitled to vote shall be made on account of a holiday having been granted.”

Also read:

Accessible democracy: How do visually impaired people vote?

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Things you need to know as a first-time voter

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