Doing away with indelible ink for elections needs wider discussion

The Cabinet this week approved a proposal to remove the legal provisions on marking voters with indelible ink during elections. 

At present, it is mandatory for voters to verify their identity using a valid identity card before casting their vote, and it is also mandatory for all such voters to be marked with indelible ink. 

The dual purpose of these two measures is to prevent a voter from voting more than once in a single election. The Government says that having to follow two different methods at the same time to achieve the same objective hinders the efficiency of duties performed at polling stations and also incurs additional costs to the Government.

Hence, the move to remove the legal provisions regarding the use of indelible ink from all election-related laws.

The move has been welcomed by the election monitoring group PAFFREL, which said about Rs. 100 million of public money can be saved at an election by abolishing the marking of voters’ fingers with indelible ink. 

The Election Commission has also said there is no possibility of electoral fraud or impersonation following the decision to remove the legal requirement for the use of indelible ink at elections, noting that the move was based on a proposal it had submitted several years ago. But is it a wise move?

India is the world’s largest democracy and is among a number of countries that use indelible ink during elections. There too, indelible ink, or “voter ink”, is used to prevent fraud or duplicate voting. This is in addition to the voter ID requirement. The ink is painted across the top of the voter’s left index finger, leaving a stain that can take up to two weeks to wash off. 

Apart from being a security feature, it is also symbolic for voters, who feel that their wait in long queues to vote and walks to polling booths have been validated by the ink mark on their finger. In Sri Lanka too, this has been the practice for decades, and now the Government plans to do away with it.

It is true that the introduction of mandatory voter identity cards has made large-scale election rigging nearly impossible. Coupled with the use of indelible ink, it ensures that a person does not cast more than one vote on election day.

While the Government may be looking to cut election costs, the fact is that doing away with indelible ink could pave the way for rigging at future elections. 

While producing a valid ID at the time of voting remains mandatory, the fact is that, other than reading the name of the ID holder aloud at the polling booth, there is no practical way to verify that it is the same person, as in many cases ID photographs rarely match the appearance of the person voting, making impersonation easier. 

Hence, retaining indelible ink, which provides an additional security check against rigging, will ensure that the system remains more foolproof.

It must not be forgotten that this country has lived through periods when gangs raided people’s houses and collected identity cards at gunpoint. There have also been numerous instances where Government-issued IDs have been forged. There have also been instances where votes belonging to those employed abroad have been cast while the actual voter was not in the country.

The franchise is the most important tool in the hands of the public and must not be compromised simply because the Government is keen to save some money. Holding elections is a costly affair, but it is a cost that must be borne. When it comes to the franchise, there should be no question of cutting corners. Every cent spent on elections is worth it.