Karnataka polls: Election Commission launches 30-hour offline hackathon to tackle voting apathy

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Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched 'Electhon 2023', a 30-hour offline hackathon to tackle urban & youth apathy, among other issues ahead of Karnataka polls.

The two-day event is being held at the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Electronics City, Bengaluru on April 15 and 16.  Karnataka will go hold assembly polls on May 10.

“The hackathon aims to address critical issues in the electoral process, specifically the registration of new voters in the electoral roll and enhancing the participation of urban and youth voters in elections," said  ECI in a statement.

"It is a platform for individuals to engage in dialogue, exchange ideas, and collaborate to elevate the electoral process in India. It also aims to encourage the development of innovative and creative solutions to these challenges, using technology and the skills of the participants”, it said.

Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched 'Electhon 2023

40 shortlisted teams are participating in the hackathon.

ECI officials said the hackathon has received an overwhelming response, with the participation of 2,936 teams and 43,99 individuals. "Of the 493 ideas, 67 teams were shortlisted. A total of 40 top teams are participating in the offline hackathon" said an ECI official.

"Interesting solutions proposed by the participants and how they can transform the electoral process in India are expected from the event" said an official.

Three issues to tackle

ECI expects solutions for three major issues. I) ensure the registration of new voters in the electoral roll (47 percent) ii) increase the participation of urban and youth voters in elections to ensure their involvement in the democratic process (36 percent) iii) devise a solution that can boost voter turnout on election day at the polling stations by the creation of election anthems, jingles, posters etc (17 percent).

EC has also roped in premier education institutions in Karnataka

The evaluation will be based on ideation (40 percent), impact (10 percent), technical aptness (25 percent) and feasibility assessment (25 percent). The hackathon mentors include Ujjwal Ghosh, IAS P Rajendra Cholan, IAS and Surya Sen, IFS.

The hackathon jury members are V Ponnuraj, IAS, Karnataka  Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (e-governance), Prof Debabrata Das, director, IIIT-Bengaluru and Prof Bharadwaj Amrutur, IISc, Bengaluru.   The hackathon will conclude at 4 pm on April 16 following which results will be announced, the release said.

For further details, visit: hack2skill.com/hack/electhon2023