Kerala: Postal Ballot For COVID-19 Patients In Local Polls

Voters who might have been infected with COVID-19 will be provided with a postal ballot facility in the upcoming local body elections in Kerala, the State Election Commission said.

The facility will ensure that all eligible voters placed currently under quarantine also get the chance to vote. The local body elections in Kerala is going to be held in three phases starting from December 8.

The voters who have tested positive for coronavirus or are staying in quarantine would be given the status of 'Special Voters'. For carrying on the tasks of polling, special polling teams consisting of two officials and a police officer each will be deployed.

According to an NDTV report, the list of special voters will be prepared with the assistance of health department officers, just 10 days before the polling begins. The given list will be updated each day accordingly at 3 pm.

The special polling team will visit each 'special voter' individually and hand over the postal ballot kit. The kit will include an application, self-declaration and postal ballot sheet. The self-declaration form will be attested by the special polling officer when he visits the voter.

While ensuring the privacy and convenience of the voter, the vote will be cast with a tick mark. The ballot could also be handed over to the special polling officer in a cover that is also a part of the kit.

All those voters who test positive after 3 pm can cast their vote at the polling booth. For this reason, voters will have to reach the polling booth before 6 pm. It is also mandatory for all voters to wear PPE kits.

It is planned that when the special voters would visit the booth for casting their vote, the officials and polling agents would also have to wear PPE kits for maintaining safety.

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