Who We Are
The civil rights movements across the world changed the way we identify ourselves in today's world, making voting one of the most important precursors to shaping and reforming our present. With growing violence, poverty, climate change and need for reform in education and sciences, voting becomes our only weapon in this fight.
Mark Your Presence was founded on the idea that we can create more change in our country if we work together. We are a non-profit and non-partisan organisation. Our aim is to create positive change by reaching out to the youth and every citizen on relevant issues we are negligent about.
Our mission is to reach out to the youth and make them aware about the democratic process and the importance of participating in it. We believe it's important to make citizens under 18 aware, as they will be the future voters of our country. We also enrol all citizens above 18 so they can actively participate in elections.
Over the last year, we have registered over 25,000 new voters. We have registered voters in Lok Sabha MP elections and MLA elections in Mumbai and Delhi. We created a voter's manual, follow up with BLO officers when there are problems, and help voters track their voter IDs, check electoral rolls, and find polling stations.
Our Story
Mark Your Presence was founded on the pillars of change and commitment to democracy. Chaitanya Prabhu founded the organisation in 2018 as an ode to his 100-year-old grandfather's commitment to practise the right that people of this country laid their lives for.
When Chaitanya learnt that most of his friends did not have a voter ID, the 20-year-old took it upon himself to register his peers. He prepared an SOP for step-by-step registration and registered more than 350 voters within three weeks. He then founded Mark Your Presence and crowdsourced funds to create a website before the 2019 general elections.
Through markyourpresence.org.in, voters can track their voter identification cards, contact details of polling stations, electoral lists, and access guides about their constituency and elected representatives. Chaitanya has filled hundreds of registration forms and conducted seminars across slums and universities while balancing law studies and national sports tournaments.
Mission
Our mission is to reach out to the youth and enrol all citizens above 18 so they can actively participate in elections for years to come. More than 50% of India's population is below 25, and more than 65% is below 35. Harnessing these young citizens to participate in democratic processes is essential.
We run micro-targeted voter campaigns which have resulted in increased voter awareness and turnout. Our Founder has been registering and educating voters since 2018, reaching more than 16,000 voters and enabling over 10,000 young eligible voters to cast their informed vote.
Organisation Structure
Policy Leadership Program (PLM)
Legislative mentorship and strategic advocacy for emerging leaders.
workspace_premiumLeadership Fellowship
Building young changemakers for voter awareness and registration.
campaignYouth Manifesto
Youth-led accountability and policy shaping across India.
The team has twenty-five core members and 480 volunteers — students with a great desire to strengthen Indian democracy. The organisation and its founder have been awarded by the United Nations India, felicitated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and honoured with the Diana International Award.
- check_circle Electoral literacy clubs in colleges
- check_circle City-level registration with NSS & Rotaract clubs
- check_circle Art campaigns, surveys, and voter registration competitions
- check_circle Register voters in 7 minutes online
Our Team
Mark Your Presence is a student-run organisation with members from across the country and overseas.
Core Team
25 members leading operations nationwide
Volunteers
480+ active volunteers across cities
Campus Ambassadors
Student leaders in partner colleges
Founder
Chaitanya Prabhu
Founder of Mark Your Presence — the youngest person to have registered 20,000 voters in India. A UN awardee felicitated by UNDP and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and recipient of the Diana Award.
He has led campaigns including She Votes, Rap for Your Rights, Art for Your Rights, the Youth Manifesto, and Mumbai's largest civic awareness competition. He works with the Chief Electoral Officer and State Election Commission of Maharashtra.
Lawyer · Civic rights advocate · Student activist · Master's in Public Policy, Xavier's · National-level athlete representing Maharashtra in track and field.