SEC to ask Kerala govt. to examine whether postal ballot facility can be expanded in future local body polls

Key Points

1. The State Election Commission (SEC) of Kerala plans to request the state government to consider extending postal ballot facilities to more voter categories in future local body elections.
2. Currently, only election officials are eligible for postal ballots in Kerala's local body polls.
3. State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan indicated the SEC will recommend this reform after the 2025 local body polls, scheduled for December 9 and 11.
4. Amendments to the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and the Kerala Municipalities Act would be necessary to introduce this change.
5. The Election Commission of India (ECI) allows postal ballots for various categories under the Representation of the People Act, but Kerala's local body laws lack similar provisions.
6. Several groups, including police officers on duty at Sabarimala and Fire and Rescue Services personnel, have requested postal ballot facilities.
7. During the 2020 local body polls, postal ballots were introduced as a special case due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
8. Extending postal ballots to more categories poses logistical challenges due to the small size of local body constituencies.