भारत का Article 326 सार्वभौमिक मताधिकार की गारंटी देता है बनाम US Incremental Amendments

<p>Both India and the United States are the world’s largest and oldest democracies, but their constitutions treat the right to vote very differently. India writes the right into its Constitution, while the US builds it through a series of amendments and statutes. The contrast shapes how each country conducts elections, protects voters, and registers citizens.</p> <h3>Key Developments</h3> <ul> <li><strong>India:</strong> <span class="key-term" data-definition="Article 326 — Article in the Indian Constitution that mandates universal adult suffrage; a cornerstone for GS2: Polity questions on electoral rights.">Article 326</span> guarantees universal adult suffrage since 1950, though it sits outside Part III of fundamental rights.</li> <li><strong>US:</strong> The right to vote is not in the Constitution. It has been added step‑by‑step through the <span class="key-term" data-definition="15th, 19th, 24th and 26th Amendments — Constitutional amendments that prohibit denial of voting on race, sex, poll‑tax and age grounds; essential for GS2: Polity.">15th, 19th, 24th and 26th Amendments</span>, each acting as a prohibition rather than a positive guarantee.</li> <li><strong>Judicial role in India:</strong> The Supreme Court has expanded voting rights by recognising a constitutional right to know candidate backgrounds (<em>ADR v Union of India, 2002</em>) and by directing the introduction of <span class="key-term" data-definition="None of the Above (NOTA) — Option on Indian ballot allowing voters to reject all candidates; a recent judicial innovation, GS2.">NOTA</span> (<em>PUCL v Union of India, 2013</em>).</li> <li><strong>US legislative protection:</strong> The <span class="key-term" data-definition="Voting Rights Act, 1965 — US federal legislation that protected minority voting rights until key provisions were struck down; relevant for GS2: Polity.">Voting Rights Act, 1965</span> was the main tool, but Supreme Court decisions in 2013 and 2021 weakened its core provisions.</li> </ul> <h3>Important Facts</h3> <p>India’s <span class="key-term" data-definition="Election Commission of India (ECI) — Independent constitutional body under Article 324 that conducts all elections in India; relevant for GS2: Polity.">Election Commission of India</span> is a single autonomous authority that prepares electoral rolls, deploys Booth Level Officers, and runs the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — A focused exercise to verify and update voter lists, ensuring accuracy of the electoral roll; GS2 relevance.">SIR</span> drive nationwide. Over 95 % of eligible Indians are registered voters.</p> <p>In the United States, voter registration is managed by each state and county. About 74 % of eligible Americans are registered, leaving roughly 26 % outside the electoral process.</p> <h3>UPSC Relevance</h3> <p>The comparison tests knowledge of constitutional design (GS2: Polity) and the impact of statutory versus constitutional guarantees.