After joining hands with Twitter, Election Commission Monday announced
its partnership with Facebook to reach out to 31 percent of the
electorate in Tamil Nadu and achieve 100 percent turnout.
Chief
Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni and Director of Public Policy (India,
South and Central Asia), Facebook, Ankhi Das in a joint press conference
announced the partnership.
Lakhoni said this was part of the
Commission's 'Tamil Nadu 100 percent' (100 percent in registration,
voting and honesty-ethical voting) initiative for the May 16 polls.
The move comes after EC's tie-up with Twitter last month to give a fillip to its #TN100percent campaign.
Stating
that her company was delighted to partner with EC, Das said from May 15
onwards Facebook users will see news feed reminders with informational
links about their polling stations.
Such messages will remind and ask them to vote, she added.
She
also said out of the 15 million electors added to rolls in Tamil Nadu
during the last five years, 14 million of them were in the age group of
18 to 29. "Our joint awareness campaign will help achieve EC's goal of
100 percent voter turnout."
The social networking website said it was in talks with Kerala as well.
Replying
to a query, she said, "we are in talks with election authorities in
other states. We have arrangement in Puducherry, we are in talks with
Kerala, but we are yet to formalise the arrangement."
"I think Tamil Nadu is the first state in terms of being so forward leaning (in partnering with Facebook)."
CEO
said, "Roughly there are 1.8 crore Facebook users in Tamil Nadu and
approximately 5.79 crore voters, so it (Facebook users) accounts to
about 31 percent."
"So voters who are in Facebook will get reminders through one partnership and that is something really outstanding," he said.
To
another question, he said,"my vote is not for sale (campaign) from
April 14 will automatically get promoted on Facebook and celebrity
videos, discussions and competitions will all be featured in our
Facebook page."
On announcing results on FB, CEO Lakhoni said
"election results can be announced live on Facebook, they are for it, we
are also okay with it, we can reach so many people."
He said poll results were of interest not only to residents of the state, where it was held but also to those living elsewhere.
Responding
to a question on poll-related ads on social media, he said the
Commission has begun sending notices to those who had posted
poll-related advertisements in social media without taking permission.
Stating
that election is "run through Model Code," he said social media
advertisement also needed certification before it was put out online.
"We
have already started giving notices to people saying you have put out
advertisements without permission and we will be watching," he said.
"If
people are not taking certification, we have two teams that are
watching and we are integrating another company which is putting
together anything on TN elections and that will come to us," he said
adding the firm will be made known soon.
There are instructions
that any form of promotion that went on electronic media must be
certified and he reiterated that "we are and will be watching."
He
further said, the Madras High Court, a few days ago, in an interim
order had banned putting up flex-boards, and hoardings on foot-paths,
roadsides and road margins.
"Based on HC order, we have sent
circulars to district collectors that now onwards they cannot grant
permission for hoardings in specified locations."
CEO said the court has banned all kinds of hoarding, including political.
He, however, said parties may put up such propaganda materials in the venue of rallies and public meetings.
On
unaccounted cash, he said out of the Rs. 21.8 crore cash seized in the
state by the Commission, Rs. 16.2 crore has been released to its owners
on production of supporting documents, he added.
Facebook Considers Forming an Election Commission to Advise on Issues Around Global Polls: Report26 August 2021
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