election workers in india traveled 300 miles over 4 days to set up a polling booth — for one voter

Marogan, India
In the light of the fading afternoon, gamebam glanced nervously
A river in a corner of northeast India.
His team has been driving for eight hours.
Mountain roads and shaking bridges.
Now they are trekking on a slippery road close to the cliff.
Barm looked at the narrow track, trying to gauge whether he could climb the tree that was rooted while carrying the voting machine.
Somehow he has to make it work.
The biggest election campaign in the world starts this month in India and will be in 38-day period.
The results will be announced on May 23.
Nearly 0. 9 billion people are eligible to vote and India is committed to reaching them no matter where they live.
For Bam and his team of voting officials, that means
More than 300 miles on a day trip
To ensure a voter in a remote border state can vote.
\"Excited and nervous,\" Rupak Tamang, one of the team members, said while setting up the voting machine.
\"If a voter shows up, there will be 100% votes, but if she doesn\'t, then it will be zero.
\"Elections in the world\'s largest democratic country are a daunting task.
When a national vote is held every five years, the National Electoral Commission struggles with challenging terrain, bad weather and bad infrastructure to ensure that no voters who want to vote are
\"We want the election to be as participatory as possible,\" said Ashok Lavasa, one of the three electoral commissioners.
\"This is a sign that democracy is deeply rooted in India.
\"The rules stipulate that no more than 1 time may be traveled by any voter.
24 miles from voting.
In the western state of Gujarat, a team will cross a lion.
Find a jungle of voters.
At the height of the Himalayas in the Ladakh region, the team will air before a day of hiking to reach voters with oxygen cylinders.
Far off the east coast of the United States, far from Andaman and the Nicobar Islands, nine voters braved the crocodile swamp.
India\'s efforts to win voters reflect its commitment to universal privilege: Unlike the United States, all adults in India have the right to vote since India\'s first election.
The election commission relies on more than 11 million government employees and security personnel who have temporarily become election officials to vote. Bam, a 35-
Abang is the most sparsely populated state in China, one of which is a one-year-old engineer.
His mission is to set up a polling station in Malogam, a remote small village in a mountainous forest near the Chinese border, more than 1,600 miles from the capital, New Delhi.
According to the latest census conducted in 2011, there were five residents in Malogam, but this time there was only one registered voter --Sokela Tayang.
The tour of the BAM team began two days before the first phase of the April 11 election.
They started with Hawai, the regional headquarters, which is located on a mountain of 3,600 feet above sea level.
They carry two sets of voting machines, a thick bundle of paperwork and utilities like buckets and batteries --operated lamp.
Early the next morning, they set off and bumped on the bumpy road overlooking the sparkling Valley.
Driving is just the beginning.
Later in the afternoon, they began hiking on a narrow forest trail, which was hardly enough to walk alone.
While keeping an eye on snakes, BAM gently and smartly slaps wild overgrowth.
There was a problem during the hike.
Local people told them that the voters who had come all the way to the meeting had already left the area.
But Bam was not blocked: he decided to set up a polling station closer to the road and tried to send her a message through the villagers.
They focused on a shabby iron shed on the edge of the forest, borrowing rickety plastic chairs and cobblestone tables from nearby villagers.
A local administrator came over to review and approved the preparations.
By then the darkness had come.
Team walk to nearest apartment
No toilet, no electricity, no cell phone signal
Sleep late at night.
They ate a simple meal of rice and lentils and then spent the night on the bamboo floor above the chicken house.
The Cock\'s cries woke them up at dawn the next morning: Election Day.
Barm\'s team must first conduct a mock vote at 5 in the morning. m.
According to the commission rules.
The work was done for the benefit of the candidate or their representative to indicate that the machine was working properly and no ballot papers were recorded.
Even for a single voter, it takes 50 mock votes to practice voting.
There will be no work cuts.
The polling station in the tin shed was open on time at 7 in the morning. m.
The country officially began voting.
There was no disappointment at Sangang.
Like Bam and his team. year-
Old farmers also tried to vote.
While taking care of her sick mother 125 miles away, she returned to marogan just to vote.
She just arrived at 8: 30. m.
She got a yogurt drink and was asked to wait in the shade while they processed the last yogurt
A minor glitch in the voting machine.
A video recorded as an election officer, Tajan walked into the cottage, presented his ID card and applied his finger in purple ink (
All Indian voters have such marks to prevent anyone from voting twice).
She voted behind a piece of plywood.
The machine beeps loudly.
It ended in less than two minutes.
She made some requests for her elected representative.
\"We want to seek employment and development through our vote,\" said Chong Ang . \".
She looked around with disappointment and said: \"Our area is still a jungle and needs to be developed.
After a selfie round, she thanked the team for the trouble she had.
But when Tajan\'s work ended in a few minutes, BAM\'s mission was far from complete.
The polling station was asked to remain open until the official end of the 5-point vote. m.
Tedious paperwork needs to be completed, including 67-item checklist.
Then the voting machine needs to be sealed four times.
\"Even a pencil must be explained clearly,\" BAM said with a smile . \".
After finishing the paperwork, they packed up the machine and set off again along the winding road.
One day before they go home.
But now their work is done.