A claim circulating on social media suggests that government officials on election duty won’t be able to vote using postal ballots. This message is primarily shared on closed messaging platforms like WhatsApp. One of the readers reached out to Vishvas News via their chatbot number for verification of the same.
They investigated the post and found it to be fake. The Election Commission has refuted this claim, stating that the officers on election duty can cast their vote through postal ballot at the designated Voter Facilitation Centre.
Claim:
A user shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation on Vishvas News’ chatbot number, in which the message stated, “Now no government employee will be able to cast his vote through postal ballot.”
Investigation:
To verify this post, we used Google Lens to extract the text from the viral post and searched using Google Open Search. This led us to an official Facebook post by the Election Commission refuting the claim.
Additionally, the debunked post was also found on the Election Commission’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle and shared by DD News Live on Facebook.
We reached out to Anuj Chandak, Joint Director, of the Election Commission of India, who confirmed that the viral post was false.
What is Postal Ballot?
A postal ballot allows individuals who are unable to vote in person at their constituency due to job commitments to cast their vote via mail.
The Lok Sabha elections (Lok Sabha Election 2024) are scheduled in seven phases, commencing on April 19, 2024 with results announced on June 4, 2024.
Conclusion: It was found during the investigation by Vishvas News that the viral claim is false. The Election Commission clarified that officials on election duty retain the option to cast their vote through postal ballots at designated Voter Facilitation Centers.
(This story was originally published by Vishvas News, and republished by Lighthouse Journalism as a part of the Shakti Collective)
