SVEEP

SVEEP also was known as Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation is a programme which was launched by the Election Commission of India. The primary objective of the programme is to educate people about the importance of voting. The Election Commission of India (ECI) hopes to make the Indian citizens more participative through SVEEP. The design of SVEEP is based on the socio-economic and demographic profile of the state.

SVEEP started off as a small-scale Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activity and the programme was established and given the name in 2010. The phase covered a staggering 17 General Elections to State Assemblies and also three revisions of the electoral roll.

SVEEP Objectives

The objectives of SVEEP are:

• Educating civilians about the importance of voting

• Increase participation of people in elections

• Increase participation in registration and turnout

The Management Structure of SVEEP

SVEEP was first established in 2010 and it has played a significant role in increasing the participation of people of the country concerning registration and voter turnout over the years. The SVEEP programme follows a systematic management structure, which has been described below

National level

The SVEEP program of ECI prepares the framework and interventions of the policies and ensures that the policies are implemented. It targets on making people aware of the importance of voting in a democratic country

State level

In every State CEO's office, a state level officer is instructed to take responsibility of the SVEEP programme. Representatives from youth organizations, universities, members of Civil Society groups and other educational institutions form the core group of this program.

District level

The administrative head of the district is responsible for election management at the district level. Sometimes, the district collector acts as the District Election Officer and implements the SVEEP programme at the district level. SVEEP Committee is designed at the district level and it is headed by the head of Zilla Parishad and the Chief Development Officer.

Booth level

ECI introduced Booth Level officers in the year 2006. These officers cover one or two polling stations and they are responsible for maintaining the voters' list.

 

SVEEP Process

The different SVEEP processes and their components are listed below:

Planning

• Preparation of National Framework plan

• Preparation of State SVEEP plans for every state which is based on the state level gaps

• Preparation of District level SVEEP plan for each district that is based on the district level gaps

• Drafting and monitoring the policies  

• Keeping track of the feedback and evaluation process

• Calendar of activities

• Content creation for creatives

• Resource allocation

Preparation

• SVEEP Core State and District Level Committee formation

• Appointing nodal officers

• Training nodal officers

• Situation and Gap Analysis through surveys for specific regions

• Analyzing the registration gap

• Analyzing  the gender gap

• Analyzing the reasons for youth disconnect

• Analyzing gaps in turnout

• Identifying groups and communities having the lowest participation in elections and analyzing the reasons for low participation

Partnerships and Collaborations

• Educational Institutions

• Media Houses

• Youth organizations

• Corporate houses and PSU's

• Government department

• Renowned individuals appointed as icons at National and State level

• Individual volunteers

• Group volunteers

Implementation

• Interventions to bridge the gender gap

• Targeted interventions specific to the identified target group

• Interventions to resolve urban apathy

• Interventions to solve youth disconnect

National Voters’ Day

The Election Commission of India initiated the celebration of National Voters' Day in the year 2011. It is celebrated on January 25th and is one of the best initiatives started by SVEEP. This day has been celebrated since 2011 to increase the enrolment of voters and educating them regarding the importance of voting in the country.

Voter Facilitation

To ensure the facilitation of voters, SVEEP has taken several measures. Some of the measures taken by SVEEP are listed below:

• Online registration on the ECI official website and the CEO's website

• Facilitation for registration

• Name search facility on the CEO website

• SMS service for searching the address of poll booths

• Conducting special registration camps

• Extension of poll hours to 11 hours to facilitate voting

• Providing basic facilities at every polling booth

• Facilitation for voter turnout

• Separate queues for men and women voters

• Giving preference to senior citizens at polling booths

Events by SVEEP

The events and activities organized by SVEEP are listed below:

• Drawing debates on elections and votings in educational institutions on National Voting Day

• Folk art competitions for rural women

• Songwriting and music competitions in public places to catch interest among the younger generation