What is postal ballot and proxy voting

The government of India has provisions for allowing its citizens to cast vote during an election in three different ways: In person, by post, and through a proxy.

While in-person voting obviously involves the voter to be physically present at the polling booth, the other two allows certain voters to exercise their Right to Adult Franchise from a distance.

Proxy voting allows a registered elector to delegate his voting rights to a representative he nominates. This was introduced in 2003 for very few countries to have such a provision. Notably, only “classified service voter” serving in the armed forces or paramilitary forces is allowed to avail of these benefits; the proxy, too, must be a registered voter of the same constituency.

Postal ballots, on the other hand, involves votes being sent by post. The rights are reserved for people deputed in election duties at places away from his or her constituency, or for armed force personnel, the armed police force of a state serving in another state, ambassadors and high commissioners and their staff. The spouses of the above-mentioned electorate can also enjoy these benefits.