Paper Details

The essence of democracy lies in the collective voice of its citizens, expressed through free and fair elections. Central to this democratic process is the concept of ethical voting, wherein individuals exercise their franchise with integrity and conscientiousness. This study underscores the paramount importance of ethical voting as a cornerstone for upholding democratic values and ensuring the integrity of electoral processes. Democratic systems face challenges like ethical lapses in campaign financing, compromising fair representation, personality cults diverting attention, and concerns about misinformation and polarization on social media. Unchecked dissemination of false narratives can distort electoral processes and undermine trust in democratic institutions. Furthermore, the conventional model code of conduct has proven insufficient in addressing emerging challenges such as the utilization of money and muscle power to sway electoral outcomes. Instances of ballot tampering and electoral fraud underscore the vulnerability of democratic systems to manipulation and malpractice. Considering these challenges, this research advocates for a comprehensive approach to fortify democratic processes. It calls for stringent regulations to curb unethical campaign financing practices and promote transparency in political funding. Furthermore, the influence of personality cults. Strengthening electoral mechanisms to prevent tampering of ballots and ensuring robust enforcement of electoral laws are also imperative steps in upholding the sanctity of democratic elections. This study evaluates the efficacy of key policies such as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative under the Election Commission of India.

Electoral Participation, democratic systems, collective voice, electoral processes, ethical voting, Model code of conduct, Election Commission of India, Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP), Ballot tampering, integrity, influence, Money, manipulation.