What Is An Electoral Roll & How You Can Register Your Name?

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a permanent legal body. This body was established on 25th January 1950 by the Constitution of India. It ensures that there are fair and free elections in the nation.

The Constitution of India allows the ECI to manage the elections. This body controls and directs the entire process of conducting elections. The process is under the Parliament and Legislature of each state. It includes the offices of the Vice President and President of India.

What are Electoral Rolls?

An electoral roll is a checklist issued by the Election Commission of India. The list includes all the registered names of the voters of the respective region.

The objectives are identifying electoral fraud in the electoral roll. Alongside, the electoral roll permits authorities to confirm the particulars of a voter. It aids in streamlining voting on the polling day. An electoral roll ensures a person cannot vote two times.

Recently, the ECI accepted a new form in keeping the electoral roll. It is in electronic form by using biometric technology.

Who can become a voter?

• Every person who is above 18 years (1st January of the affected year).
• Individual enrollment at the ordinary place of living only.
• Enrollment of a person in one place only.
• An NRI, whose residential address is given in the passport.
• Service voters assumed normally to be residents of their home address.

What is Voter Education?

When the basic information about the election is given to the people, it is called Voter Education. The state provides this by itself or through a national electoral commission.

It is essential that voter education is politically independent. There are many institutions that aim to provide voter education. These institutions strengthen democratic significance. They do not focus on who to vote, instead; they focus on how to vote.

How to Register Name in Electoral Roll?

Option 1: Online application submission by the applicant

You can apply for registration in the electoral roll. It will be by the following process:

• Visit the site of the Election Commission of India.
• On the website, apply for the new enrollment.
• Submit the personal details with the documents. It includes:

1. 1. One passport size photograph
   2. Proof of residence, And
   3. Proof of age.

• In the end, click on submit button for further process.

Option 2: Submission of Form 6 via post after downloading it from the website

• The registration for application submission can be done manually. You need to download and fill up two copies of Form 6. Then you will submit the application form via post.
• This form is available without any cost at two offices. You can avail it from Booth level officers and the offices of Assistant Electoral Commission officers/ Electoral Registration officers. The applicant can fill up the form before the concerned officer. He/she will need to carry copies of relevant documents.

You can send it by post address or give it to the booth officer of the polling area directly.

If you need any support with the submission, you can call up at 199.

What are the particular documents required for the submission?

Proof of age-

For the age proof, you can choose and submit the documents suggested as below. They are:

• Birth certificate issued by the District office (Registrar of the Births & Death) or by the Municipal Authority.
• Baptism Certificate (in case of Christianity- this certificate states the information/ details related to the baptism date, place, and time).
• A copy of the high school and secondary school mark sheet.
• A copy of the 8th mark sheet (if it contains the date of birth).
• A copy of the 5th mark sheet (if it contains the date of birth).
• A recommended format declaration made by the applicant’s parent, if the individual is not educated till class 10.
• An age certificate given by the concerned Gram Panchayat Sarpanch. A member of the affected Municipal Committee/ Corporation can give it.

Proof of residing in a place-

For the proof of residence, you can choose and submit the documents suggested below. They are:

• Kisan/ Post office/ Bank current PassBook.
• Applicant’s Driving License/ Ration Card.
• Applicant’s Passport/ Income Tax return filed or Assessment Order.
• The Latest Gas Connection / Water/ Electricity/ Telephone Bill. It can be in the applicant’s name or with his/ her personal relation like parents, etc.
• The post received or delivered from the postal department in the name and address of the applicant.

How to correct or delete the name, if required?

If you have earlier noted as a voter, then the ECI provides different facilities. These facilities are:-

• shifting to other polls
• name correction in electoral rolls.

The ECI provides a service voter facility

Application name deletion

If you have shifted to another district or polling area, then you can submit form 7 for name deletion. You can acknowledge this form if you have submitted the wrong entry.

Name Correction of application

• If there is any mistake in the personal details of the electoral roll, then you can submit form no. 6.
• If there is an error in EPIC (ELECTORAL PHOTO IDENTITY CARD), then you can submit the application form to change the entry.
• Submit the proof of identity (Birth Certificate) in the xerox form.

Application entry change in the electoral roll

If you have shifted your house to a new district or in other polling areas, then you will trans-position your entry. You need to complete your entries. For this, you need Form 8A and submit it to the electoral roll of that area.

You need to attach address proof xerox. It can be your Ration Card, passport, Bank Passbook, etc. either in the applicant’s name or his/ her parent’s name, etc.

What are the original application forms in the electoral roll?

• You can use form No. 6. for including names.
• In form 6A, you can include names for overseas electors.
• For any objection on name addition, you can use Form- 7.
• Form- 8 will help you do the alteration of entries in the Elective Rolls.
• In the form 8A, you can trans-position your entry into the electoral roll.
• You can select a proxy by the voter of a classified service. It will give vote / Revocation of appointment of a proxy. You can enable the proxy through Form- 13F & G.

What are the Complaint redressal agencies under ECI?

If you have any complaint about EPIC or electoral roll, you may approach the following officers:

• State Level- Chief Electoral Officer
• District Level- District Election Officer
• Tehsil/ Taluka Level- Assistant Returning Officer
• Constitute Level- Returning Officer
• Polling Station- Presiding Officer
• For a Polling station group- Zonal Officer