Results of the baseline survey of knowledge, attitude, behaviour and practices of voters in Uttar Pradesh suggest nearly 60% voters believe that tickets should not be given to corrupt candidates. In what may come as a rude shock to most political parties in the state, nearly 30% voters also said that politics of caste should be discouraged. The findings are based on the survey commissioned in UP by Election Commission of India in June 2011. The results of the five-month long exercise were completed and handed over to the office of Chief Electoral Commissioner Umesh Sinha in the last week of December 2011.

Conducted in 18 sample districts of UP, representing 18 legislative assembly constituencies in all four regions of the state, 4 polling booths - two that polled the highest numbers and two where polling was lowest - were identified. A total of 75 voters were selected randomly from each booth and interviewed to understand the extent and level of their knowledge, belief, perception, readiness, trends, factors and reasons of participation and non-participation of the registered voters in the elections and voting process.

A total of 5,400 voter families were interviewed during the process of data collection. Among a series of suggestions given to the Election Commission (EC), nearly 27% voters said the EC should ensure their security while casting their votes. In further bad news for political parties in the election fray, over 20% voters in the state recommended that the EC must initiate action against political parties found using force during the election process.

A large number of voters also said only honest candidates, whose credentials are scrutinised, should be allowed to enter the political fray. Showing a clear disenchantment with politics based on family inheritance, 9% of the voters also suggested that the EC must identify such political parties and place a ban on them. Other suggestions received by the EC during the course of the baseline survey included banning party based campaigning and paid news that mislead voters and fixing a maximum age limit for candidates contesting the elections.

Among suggestion for improving the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) services of the Election Commission, voters in UP have also suggested the EC should make the provision of online voting available to those voters who are unable to remain present at their election constituencies at the time of voting. Voters in UP have also demanded that the EC should conduct a training session for the use of the electoral voting machine for those sections of society that are hesitant in using the machine for casting their votes.

Old voters, pregnant women and women under post-natal care have, during the baseline survey, demanded that they should also be allowed to exercise their franchise, albeit, at their door steps.

At the time of commissioning the survey, ECI officials had said such a survey will understand the reasons for people not coming forward for enrolment in electoral rolls, photo updation and electoral photo identity cards.

In continuation of the same aim, the survey also assessed the level of awareness, comprehension, involvement and satisfaction of the voters with the registration process and the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC). A senior EC official said, "We have, through this survey, identified the demographics of elector segments with lower enrolment, lower EPIC application and lower participation during polls. Logical and plausible measures have also been suggested to ensure higher enrolment and higher voter turnout in the state, on the basis of the outcome of the survey."