Sweltering heat in India is keeping some voters away. Changing the system is a risk worth taking, says David Fickling for Bloomberg Opinion.
Voters wait to cast their ballot outside a polling station during the first phase of voting for the India 's general election, in Kathalguri village of Nagaon district of Assam state on Apr 19, 2024. That’s the problem faced by voters in India . A swathe of the country’s east is sweltering under a brutal heatwave. The city centre of Kolkata has emptied out, schools have cancelled classes, and one TV presenter collapsed on air with heat stroke.
US elections have been held at the start of November since the mid-19th century because farmers in what was then a largely agricultural society had completed the harvest and the coldest winter weather was yet to come. That was seen as the best way of boosting turnout. Postal and absentee voting is only available to people with disabilities, those over 85 , and certain essential services workers. Everyone else needs to turn up on the day or miss the opportunity.
Above all, though, Indian politicians need to reconsider the timing of the vote. Punishing monsoon seasons aren’t going away any time soon.
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