In a pioneering move to enhance voter engagement and understanding of the electoral process, Assam’s Kamrup election district organized a trial voting session using Virtual Reality (VR) technology on Tuesday, April 30, ahead of Phase 3 of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May 7. nThis groundbreaking initiative, a first in India, aimed to provide participants with a virtual walkthrough of the actual polling process, thereby encouraging maximum voter participation. Under the guidance of Kamrup District Commissioner (DC) and District Election Officer (DEO) Keerthi Jalli, the event took place at Dakshin Kamrup College as part of the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative.
DC Jalli underscored the importance of leveraging advanced technology to engage youth in democracy and enhance the voting experience. Describing the event as a dry run, participants were provided with Oculus headsets equipped with jockey sticks to navigate through the simulation. The VR simulation guided participants through the entire polling process, starting from the entrance of the polling station to casting their votes in a secret compartment. Interactive software directed users to choose their gender, select their identification document, and proceed through each stage of the voting process.
The concept of trial voting through VR technology was developed in collaboration with Dr. Keyur Sorathia, Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati’s Department of Design. Dr. Sorathia emphasized the potential of VR to immerse youth in various design processes and highlighted the emerging job opportunities in fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Augmented Reality (AR), and VR. Participants, including first-time voters like Jaya Das and Animesh Narayan Das, expressed enthusiasm and confidence in understanding the intricacies of the voting process through the VR simulation. The event not only provided a unique learning experience but also empowered participants with the knowledge and confidence to exercise their democratic rights effectively.
