Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed the State Election Commission to ensure comfortable voting conditions for the upcoming local body elections. It suggested developing a real-time queue-monitoring mobile application to assist voters, particularly senior citizens and persons with disabilities, in avoiding long waits.

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan issued the order while disposing of a petition challenging the Commission’s decision to limit voters to 1,200 per booth in Panchayats and 1,500 in Municipalities. The petitioners argued that these limits were impractical, noting that each Panchayat voter must cast three votes and that polling within the prescribed period could not realistically be completed with a single booth. They contended that such an arrangement risks depriving citizens of their constitutional right to vote.

Emphasising the central role of voters in a democracy, the Court warned that any scenario where a voter leaves without casting a ballot due to long queues would “sound the death knell of democracy” and represent a failure of the democratic system.

The Court observed that expecting voters to cast ballots in 30 to 40 seconds each, as implied by the current cap of 1,200 to 1,500 per booth, was unrealistic if full turnout occurred. It held that the Election Commission cannot assume lower turnout based on historic voting patterns and must be prepared for all voters to participate.

Although the Court declined to intervene at this stage, it issued specific directions to improve the voter experience.

The State Election Commission must implement queue management systems with seating and drinking water at every polling station. The Court also proposed a voter queue-monitoring system, citing a design by Mr Ishaque K V, Principal Technical Officer, IT Cell, High Court of Kerala. The suggested application would display real-time queue length, estimate waiting time, and notify voters when queues shorten. The Court urged the Commission to consult stakeholders and develop the system before the election.
(With inputs from LiveLaw)