On the day of voting, EC will remind you to vote on Facebook

New Delhi: Taking a step ahead in the efforts to encompass every voter, the Election Commission of India will use social networking platform in order to approach maximum number of voters with a focus on first timers. The EC in collaboration with the Facebook is launching its 'Voter Registration Reminder' campaign across the nation from July 1, an official release said here today. Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi has urged the eligible citizens to enroll and vote saying 'I am pleased to announce that the Election Commission of India is launching a ‘Special Drive to enroll left out electors with a special focus on first time electors.

This is a step towards fulfillment of ECI 's motto 'NO VOTER TO BE LEFT BEHIND'. 'I am sure this initiative will strengthen Election Commission of India's enrollment campaign and encourage future voters to participate in the Electoral Process and become responsible Citizens of India,” Mr Zaidi added. On July 1, Facebook will send a notification of “voter registration reminder” to its users in the country who are eligible to vote. The social media networking site has designed a 'Register Now' button on its website and applications, that will enable the citizens to register with the Election Commission.

Over 180 million people in the country are present on Facebook. The reminder will be sent in 13 different languages, including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, Assamese, Marathi and Oriya. Public Policy Director Facebook India Ankhi Das in this regard said, “People use Face-book to learn, talk and get involved with issues that matter to them. We want to build engagements that support this type of civic engagement.' (UNI)