Natural hazards and elections in India: lessons in adaptation and mitigation
This case study explores adaptive measures adopted by the Electoral Commission of India (ECI) to safeguard the electoral process from natural hazards on the subnational and national levels. India faces extremely high exposure to ecological threats and, therefore, it is important to consider the effects of natural hazards on electoral processes in the country. Linking climate change with electoral processes and outcomes is no longer restricted to academia but has come to the forefront of political discourse in some countries, India among them.
Non-governmental organizations and citizens have demanded better emergency relief measures from their elected representatives and the issue has featured in political parties’ election pledges, so grave has the situation been in some areas. The paper goes on to explore environmental efforts introduced by the ECI with a focus on electronic voting machines, the ban on single-use plastics, management of biomedical waste and the introduction of ‘green elections’.
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