Indian Cultural Centre of Qatar Elections and the Success of Online Voting

1. Indian Cultural Centre of Qatar Elections and the Success of Online Voting The Indian Cultural Centre, Qatar, operating under the patronage of the Embassy of India, serves as the apex body for the Indian expatriate community in Qatar, dedicated to promoting social and cultural activities. The Indian Cultural Centre recently held its President & MC Member Election and AO Representative Election, marking a significant shift in their electoral process by adopting online voting. The results were astounding, with voter turnout reaching 80% for the President & MC Member Election and an impressive 96% for the AO Representative Election. This was a drastic improvement from their previous elections, where voting percentages barely reached 50% due to the physical challenges of traditional voting. In past elections, voter participation was significantly low because people were scattered across the country and engaged in their professional commitments. Requiring voters to be physically present at a designated polling booth proved to be a major inconvenience. Many eligible voters simply could not make time to travel and cast their votes, leading to a lacklustre democratic process. To address these challenges, the Embassy decided to embrace modern technology and opted for online voting, with Right2Vote, the world’s leading eVoting platform. Right2Vote stood out due to its unmatched features, affordability, and user-friendly interface. Recognizing that the Embassy was new to online voting, Right2Vote provided comprehensive guidance at every step, ensuring a seamless transition. One of the standout features the Embassy used in the election is the Voter Selfie option. Before casting their vote, each voter had to log in to the system to capture their selfie and then cast their vote. This added an extra layer of security and transparency, ensuring that votes were cast by legitimate individuals and photographs of the voter were available to the admin in real time. To familiarize voters with the platform and eliminate any technological apprehensions, a demo election was conducted before the actual voting. This trial run not only boosted voter confidence but also demonstrated the platform’s robust security, which is tested and certified by STQC and approved by the Government of India. With the new system in place, voters found the process simple, efficient, and even exciting. Instead of travelling to polling booths, they could now vote from anywhere with just a few clicks. The ease of online voting turned the election into a seamless and engaging experience. As a result, voter turnout skyrocketed, proving that technology can significantly enhance democratic participation. Most of the voters were non-resident Indians and many of them recommended that Right2Vote’s online voting technology should also be used in Indian national elections and state elections so that non resident Indians can cast their votes from Qatar itself and they do not have to travel to India to vote.

2. The Indian Cultural Centre, Qatar’s successful adoption of online voting has set a precedent for hassle-free, high-turnout elections. By leveraging Right2Vote’s advanced platform, they not only improved voter participation but also demonstrated how digital solutions can make elections more inclusive, transparent, and secure. Online voting is no more a futuristic technology. Online voting is a real and effective solution today , offering a modern and secure way to uphold democratic principles effortlessly.