MP Election Commission improves voter participation with easy access and conversations
The victory story of Chief Electoral Officer – Madhya Pradesh’s Chatbot
1.2 million
Citizens engaged on WhatsApp
On polling day
Engaged with 65k polling officers, 95% responded in 15 minutes
200K people
Guided for voter ID corrections/new registrations.
"In the 2023 State assembly elections, we successfully implemented a 24/7 WhatsApp chatbot, revolutionizing citizen engagement. With over 1.2 million interactions, the bot provided quick and accurate information, addressing queries, facilitating voter registration, and enabling real-time communication with polling officers. This initiative not only enhanced voter participation but also set the stage for continuous interaction, positioning the chatbot as a crucial channel for future electoral processes."
Background
Madhya Pradesh, India’s fifth-largest state has 5.5 million eligible voters. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Madhya Pradesh, appointed by the Election Commission of India oversees elections, maintains electoral rolls, and ensures the smooth functioning of democratic processes. In November 2023 State assembly elections, the CEO-MP team aimed to establish a two-way communication channel with citizens.
The Goal
The Election Commission aimed to enhance citizen engagement particularly among the youth by offering a user-friendly platform for quick information, Voter ID registration and database updates. The traditional communication system which was heavily reliant on SMS and web based portals, was limited to one-way information flow, and lacked the ability to collect feedback. The aim was to make the process more interactive and achieve higher voter participation.
The Proposal
Establish a two-way conversational channel targeting the tech-savvy youth, providing a way to collect feedback, quickly address election-related queries, drive voter registration and share informational updates – all at scale.
Launched during the 2023 Madhya Pradesh state assembly electoral roll preparation
The Chief Electoral Officer (MP) team, in collaboration with Gupshup, introduced a 24/7 WhatsApp chatbot. It was designed to address queries, assist with accurate form submissions, and redirect citizens to the Election Commission’s portal. The team utilized elector’s legacy databases for WhatsApp campaigns, educating voters about the new service channel. They also promoted the WhatsApp chatbot through newspapers, Facebook, and Twitter for direct citizen engagement.
Success
Engaging citizens and resolving their queries
The chatbot engaged over 12 lakh (1.2 million) citizens, serving as an easy way to interact with the Election Commission. People came to the bot for getting answers to queries such as if their name is already enrolled in the voter list, where they need to go on polling day, can they vote with Aadhar Card, etc.
Voter ID Registration & Correction
Around 2 lakh individuals seeking corrections in voter IDs or submitting new registration forms were directed to the appropriate portal links. This built trust, as the guidance came from the official WhatsApp handle of CEO-MP, alleviating citizens’ concerns about online form submissions.
Real-time communication with polling officers on election day
WhatsApp efficiently delivered timely alerts to 65,000 deployed polling officers, ensuring vital information dissemination and intelligence gathering at specific time intervals. Due to ease of use and interaction, 95% of officers responded to a range of alerts sent on polling day within 15 minutes. The responses helped calculate the percentage of voting completed in different parts of the state on polling day, and could be shared rapidly with media outlets and the Election Commission of India for reporting.
Future Plans
The CEO-MP team plans to collaborate with Gupshup to enhance the chatbot with features providing information on the election process, political parties, and related queries. The aim is to establish the chatbot as an always-on channel for continuous citizen interaction with the Election Commission. Additionally, the team will leverage the service to prompt citizens for requests such as deletion of deceased voter IDs during the annual update window. Looking ahead, the WhatsApp initiative will help engage new voters, i.e. citizens turning 18 and becoming eligible to vote.
