Election Commission of India (ECI) on August 17 launched Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0) during a conference on the “Electoral Literacy Clubs and ECINet” held in Patna. ELC 2.0 reimagines Electoral Literacy Clubs as structured, visible and digitally enabled platforms across schools, colleges and universities and will leverage the extensive ECINet digital platform which provides all election related services.
The initiative envisages continuous, year-round activities to promote electoral literacy among young citizens and electoral awareness within their families, educational institutions and communities. It is pertinent to mention that in view of India’s extensive educational ecosystem, comprising approximately 15 lakh schools with nearly 25 crore students and over one crore teachers, besides nearly 1,500 universities and around 70,000 educational institutions, with an estimated enrolment of 4.33 crore students in higher education, this new launch and thinking behind it is significant. For a wider reach, a streamlined pan-India network of ELCs will be cultivated using a dedicated ELC portal on ECINet.
The Electoral Literacy Club also got a new logo this time and the new tagline, “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy.”, reinforces the objective of encouraging young and first-time voters not only to understand democracy but also to participate meaningfully and contribute to its progress.
Through this extensive institutional network, ELC 2.0 seeks to promote factual and experiential electoral education, enhance awareness about the transparency, integrity and credibility of India’s electoral system, and encourage young citizens to become ambassadors of informed democratic participation. The ELCs will also serve as platforms for disseminating information about different stages of the electoral process, including electoral registration, polling and counting, along with the ECINET App and other key initiatives of the Election Commission of India.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar said that educational institutions can play in strengthening trust in electoral processes, strengthening electoral literacy and promoting informed democratic participation.
He underlined the need to familiarise students and young electors with India’s electoral system, democratic values, electoral registration, polling and counting processes, and the role and functioning of the Election Commission of India. Emphasising the importance of engaging young citizens, CEC Shri Gyanesh Kumar stated that their trust and informed participation in the electoral process is an investment in the future of democracy.
