MY FIRST VOTE
I was extremely ecstatic to be able to vote for the first time and be officially included into the whole huge democratic process and also , a little bit nervous because it was my first time voting and we are always nervous for the first time with everything .
As John Lewis said — “The vote is precious . It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society , and we must use it”.
I believe , every citizen must cast their vote and make a small but significant difference by their count . This is one of the major ways in which we can make our voices heard by Politicians .
I got my voter ID card in mid-February .The registration process just took a few minutes and it was pretty much offline in November . I was eighteen when I applied .
Knowing it was the day , I didn’t want to delay it by any amount of time . So , I carried my voter ID and photo voter slip .The photo voter slip was handed to me by some election commission officials just a day before . Just in case you don’t know , We can also find the address of our polling station through the official website of election commission of India .
Then , I straight headed towards my designated polling station which just took a couple minutes .
Till now , I have heard my parents and elders discuss about elections but now , I’m also going to be their part . I was super excited for this day ever since I read about this massive process of democracy in my academic books . This feeling was surreal .
I have always wanted to vote for a strong , stable and corruption free government . A government which focus on employment , financial aides , education , law and order , safety and security issues of citizens etc .
The entire voting process was pretty much simple . Firstly , I had to line in a queue which consisted of just 6–7 people . I bet , I was pretty much early else it would usually be chaotic . Standing there , I observed my ambiance carefully , mainly the facets of election security hit me hard . It’s a much broader topic which affects almost all aspects of an election . Without sufficient guarantees of security at all stages of the election process , there can’t be any guarantee of freedom , fairness and integrity . There were three CRPF personnel's , one at the entrance , second at the exit and third at the terrace . Also , two police officers were taking rounds after regular intervals . I truly admired them for a while since what a satisfactory pleasure it must be to wear that privileged uniform and carry those lustrous rifles . In between of these insightful thoughts , it was my turn now . The first polling officer checked my identity documents and asked me to enter a room which were full of officials who were in charge of handling all the process . Then , I moved to the second polling officer who asked me for my photo voter slip and then he slipped down through some papers and did the requirements . The moment we have had always admired , the same officer marked my finger with the indelible ink . This moment gives me chills yet . . Then , he pressed the ballot button on the control unit of voting machine and finally , I was directed to move to the voting compartment were the EVM was kept . The ballot unit had the party symbols , name of the candidates and some serial numbers and against it , were blue buttons which we needed to press for our choice of candidate . As I ran my hand over the ballot , a cold chill ran down my spine making me aware of what a decision I’m going to make and what an impact it may have . I felt a strange sense of sheer adultery hit me and this made me conscious of how I have to be a responsible and strong citizen for the state/nation .
Soon after , I pressed the blue button of my choice , a red light glowed and a slip got printed in the VVPAT following a beep sound . The slip is said to be visible for 7 seconds and then it drops down in the VVPAT itself . By this we know , the vote is recorded.
Hurray ! I have successfully cast MY FIRST VOTE .
Also , I sure have funny memories like fumbling with the machine or the procedure . It truly was an extraordinary and fun experience .
Briefly , it feels good to vote specially , if you are a first time voter and as we know , these first time voters are a huge group of people that play an important role in determining the state/country’s future . This day felt really great, I made an impact and now , I have the power to exercise my democratic rights . Furthermore , I’m waiting for the results since it’s going to be interesting watching the deserving candidate win the elections . May the best win .
JAI HIND