Page 16 - voice-international-oct2022

Features

ECI National Icons: (L to R) Aamir Khan (Actor), Mahindra Singh Dhoni (Cricketer),
Jasbir Jassi (Singer) and Dr. Niru Kumar (Social Activist)
India by the Films Division for six months, during famous hamburgers. McDonald’s also urged its
the election period. consumers to cast their votes for a better future,
through a campaign “freedom to choose” using
Engagement through ECI Icons social media.
ECI icons are the public influencers who play a
critical role in driving the mandate of no voter to Social media network
be left behind to the last mile. Their popularity and Social Media has also played a vital role
mass appeal helps in educating and empowering in carrying forward the initiatives taken in
voters. During 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, 4 National collaboration and partnership. ECI collaborated
icons and around 113 State icons reached out to with Twitter for the campaign named #PowerOf18
voters and spread voter awareness through social which emphasized the importance of the youth
media, advertisements, and other communication voter by partnering with key influencers. They
channels. prepared videos on the importance of elections with
Bollywood actors which accrued more than 5 million
Private Corporations views on Twitter. A ‘Voluntary Code of Ethics’ was

Numerous restaurants, large corporations, and devised after consistent efforts and deliberations of
even small-town merchants decided to support ECI with various stakeholders of Social Media. For
India’s democracy in their own distinctive ways. the first time during the Lok Sabha Election 2019,
Discounts on food products were offered at the all major social media platforms and their industrial
well-known American restaurant company Subway. body in India, the Internet and Mobile Association
In addition to offering free coke in the states of of India came together and adopted the ‘Voluntary
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Pune, Code of Ethics’. Internet & Mobile Association of
and Mumbai cities, another well-known fast food India (IAMAI) on behalf of its members has agreed
company, McDonald’s, offered discounts on its to observe the ‘Voluntary Code of Ethics’ during all
elections and cooperate for ensuring the conduct of
free and fair elections.
Partnerships and collaborations, along
with numerous other initiatives by the Election
Commission of India were successful and led to
the highest ever voter turnout at 67.4% during Lok
Sabha 2019 General Elections.
Dr. Ranbir Singh
Special Officer ECI & CEO Delhi
Collaboration with Twitter

16 | VoICE International | October 2022