Facebook introduces National Voters' Day pledge on Facebook

Facebook today announced that its user will receive a reminder of Voters day pledge. As a part of The Election Commission of India's (ECI) National Voters' Day pledge, people who are 18 years and above will receive a reminder in their Facebook News Feed to take a National Voters' Day pledge on 25th January.

When a user clicks on the "Take the Pledge" button, they will be directed to the ECI's Facebook post which will have the National Voters' Day pledge. This new feature is designed to support the ECI's ongoing initiatives to encourage the participation of young voters in the electoral process.

O.P Rawat, Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India said, "On the 8th National Voters' Day, the Election Commission of India is happy to join hands with Facebook for one of the largest Voters' pledges. Through the 'pledge' let us renew our resolve to uphold the rich democratic traditions of our country and our commitment to the cause of free, fair, peaceful and participative elections" he further added.

Nitin Saluja, Politics and Government Outreach Manager for India, South & Central Asia, Facebook commented that "People use Facebook to learn about, talk about, and get involved with the issues that matter to them. He further added that, "We want to make it easier for people, especially young people, to participate and have a voice in the electoral process - on Election Day and every day."

He further explained the background of the program.

• Facebook had previously rolled out the voter registration reminder in India. It was in partnership with Election Commission of India and its Chief Electoral Officers during the State elections of 2016 and 2017.

• Facebook also partnered with ECI to register first-time voters. As part of this, all users who turn 18 received a News Feed reminder wishing them a happy birthday and reminding them to register to vote on the ECI's website

• Over the last 6 months, Facebook in India, in partnership with Youth Ki Awaaz, has been running a large voter empowerment campaign - #JetSetVote. The campaign was started with the aim to create a large, growing community of first-time voters across India. The aim is to create more active citizen by making them aware and keep them informed about their voting rights and responsibilities - hence creating more active citizens.