Your next voter registration reminder will come from Facebook — Here’s how

Facebook REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

Facebook will now remind eligible voters across the country to get themselves enrolled, as the Election Commission of India has teamed up with the social media giant for the  upcoming elections.

Facebook, which has over 180 million users in India, will be sending a voter registration reminder to people across the country regarding who are eligible to vote.

Once the reminder notification reaches the users, they will have the option of clicking on the “Register Now” button, which will redirect them to the National Voters’ Services Portal that will have a step-by-step guidance on the election process.

Dr Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner, while commenting on the partnership, said: “I am pleased to announce that the Election Commission of India is going to launch a ‘Special Drive to enrol left out electors, with a particular focus on first time electors. This is a step towards fulfilment of the motto of ECI that ‘NO VOTER TO BE LEFT BEHIND’.”

This is the first time the voter registration reminders to be sent on a pan-India basis. Previously, it had rolled out similar reminders for the state elections of 2016 and 2017.

“People use Facebook to learn, talk and get involved with issues that matter to them. We want to build products that support this type of civic engagement - on Election Day and every day,” said Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director for India, South & Central Asia.

The reminder will be made available in 13 Indian languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, Assamese, Marathi and Oriya.