Election Commission of India to launch a new initiative with Facebook

Facebook will send voter registration reminders from July 1 in 13 Indian languages.

Starting from July 1, the voter registration reminder will be sent to people on Facebook in India who are eligible to vote. The reminder will be in 13 Indian languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, Assamese, Marathi and Oriya. With over 180 million Indian subscribers on Facebook, the 'Register Now' button on Facebook is designed to encourage Indian citizens to register themselves with the Election Commission of India (ECI). The drive will continue till July 4.

Speaking about the initiative, Nasim Zaidi, chief election commissioner, ECI, says in a press note, "I am pleased to announce that the ECI is going to launch a 'Special Drive to enroll left out electors, with a particular focus on first time electors. This is a step towards fulfillment of the motto of ECI - 'No Voter To Be Left Behind'. I urge all eligible citizens to enroll and vote i.e., recognize your right and perform your duty. I am sure this initiative will strengthen ECI's enrollment campaign and encourage future voters to participate in the electoral process and become responsible citizens of India."

This is the first time Facebook's voter registration reminder has been rolled out across India. Earlier, similar reminders have been rolled out in partnership with Chief Electoral Officers during the state elections of 2016 and 2017.

Ankhi Das, public policy director for India, South & Central Asia, adds, "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. We believe that democracies are stronger when more people are engaged, that's why we are encouraging everyone who is eligible to register to vote and connecting them with resources."

By clicking on the "Register Now" button, people will be directed to the National Voters' Services Portal which will guide them through the registration process.