Polling Booths in DK decorated with cultural art to boost voter turnout

Team Udayavani, Apr 15, 2023, 6:19 PM IST

The upcoming election in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district is set to witness a unique approach in encouraging voter participation. District officials have initiated the decoration of polling booths with paintings of cultural art to attract voters to cast their vote.

The initiative began immediately after the announcement of the election dates and the implementation of the election code of conduct. The officials’ goal is to maximize voter participation in the election, which they refer to as the “festival of democracy.”

To achieve this, the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) team has planned to decorate 100 polling booths with paintings related to the cultural art of the coastal region. Interestingly, several polling centers were already painted a month before the election.

Yakshagana art, a traditional form of theatre that involves music, dance, and acting, was chosen as the theme for most of the paintings. The art form is widely popular among people residing in the coastal region. The SVEEP team also selected three other themes, including Blue Wave polling booth, Go Green polling booth, and Kambala polling booth, for the paintings.

The Election Commission expects that this unique experiment will increase the percentage of voting in the coastal regions and ensure that every voter participates in the democratic process. This initiative is an innovative way of encouraging voters to cast their vote and celebrate the “festival of democracy.”