Electoral symbol

An electoral symbol is a standardised symbol allocated to a political party.

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Usage

Symbols are used by parties in their campaigning, and printed on ballot papers where a voter must make a mark to vote for the associated party. One of their purposes is to facilitate voting by illiterate people, who cannot read parties' names on ballot papers.[1]

In the Italy parties use usually a slightly modified version of your own logo.

Examples include an elephant's head and three lotus flowers (Cambodian Democratic Party), a hand (Indian National Congress) and a sailboat (Bangladesh Awami League). In Brazil, parties are allocated two-digit numbers, easily recognized by the illiterate, instead.

In Israel parties are identified by a symbol composed of one, two, three or four Hebrew letters; this facilitates voters whose knowledge of Hebrew or Arabic (the two official languages) is limited.[2]

Danish and Icelandic parties are identified by a "party letter" which is often the initial letter.

Symbols of the national parties of India
Mural in Kerala showing the hand of the Indian National Congress
Communist Hammer and Sickle in Kerala
SymbolFlagMeaningParty
lotus
The lotus symbolizes the party's link to Hinduism. It also is the national flower of India.		Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
flowers and grass
The simple flowers indicate that the party supports those who are insignificant.		 All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)
elephant
The elephant represents the strength of the minority Dalit community. It is one of the few animal symbols allowed for parties.		Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
ears of corn and sickle
variation of hammer and sickle		Communist Party of India (CPI)
hammer and sickle, star
The symbol of the hammer and sickle is also replicated by other left-wing parties of India.		Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M)
ClockNationalist Congress Party (NCP)
hand
The hand denotes unity and strength.		Indian National Congress (INC)
Book
Only literacy and education can empower the weaker sections of society.		National People's Party (India) (NPP)

See also

References
  1. With Pakistan Vote Looming, Ballot Symbols Prove A Tricky Topic Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, 29 November 2012
  2. https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-election-day-is-still-surprisingly-low-tech/
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