Early Indian initiatives in e-democracy

Abstract

E-democracy involves the harnessing of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to improve electoral processes and political representation. India is witnessing a range of e-democracy initiatives launched by political activists. These include: e-registration of voters; formation of new political parties; provision of information about candidates; programs and services that improve the effectiveness of representatives. These initiatives perform well by the normative standards of pluralist, representative and direct democracy. However, in light of India's substantial digital divides, we suggest ways in which ICT applications for electoral purposes can be made more broad based through pro-active government intervention.