Voter Registration, Voter ID Card FAQ

Vote for a better change, Vote for a better India. Presenting this note with the help of information available at: - www.jaagore.com/vote and Election Commission of India ERO Handbook: http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/ECI_voters_guideline_2006.pdf Download all the forms at: - jaagore forms OR Election Commission of India Forms Look for IMP links at the end of this note.

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1) WHAT IS A VOTER ID CARD? WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO HAVE A VOTER ID CARD? Voter ID card or Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is an identification card issued by the Election Commission to all eligible voters, to enable voter identification on Election Day. All those who are already enrolled in the voter list are eligible to receive a voter ID card. Reference: ERO Handbook, pg 69, 15 2) IS A VOTER ID CARD ESSENTIAL FOR VOTING? No. This is a very commonly held myth! Only 2 things are mandatory for voting 1. 2. Your name should be there in the list of registered voters i.e. in electoral roll or voter list of your polling booth. You should carry an approved photo identity proof document.

If you are issued with a voter ID card, you have to compulsorily carry it on the day of voting as an identity proof. If you do not possess a voter ID card, you can carry any one of the approved photo identity proof documents on Election Day. Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 69 (point 2) 3) DOES THE POSSESSION OF VOTER ID CARD ENTITLE ME FOR VOTING? No. The mere possession of voter ID card DOES NOT entitle you to voting, because it is mandatory for your name to appear in electoral roll or voter list. Once you have found out that your name is there in the electoral rolls, and you possess an approved photo identity proof document (voter ID card or others), you are entitled to vote. Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 73 (Point 28) 4) What is the meaning of different forms available? 1. 2. 3. 4. Form No. 6:- For inclusion of your name in the Electoral roll (voter list). Form No. 7:- To raise an objection to somebodys name or for deletion of your own or any other person's name. Form No. 8:- Similarly if any particulars in the electoral roll are to be modified such as name, house number, middle name, last name, age, sex, epic number etc. Form No. 8A:- In case any elector has changed his house from the polling area of one booth to other booth in the same Assembly Constituency he can file application in Form No. 8A for change/transposition from one electoral part to other part.

5) Where to file Form-6? 1. During revision period, the application can be filed at the designated locations where the draft electoral roll is displayed (mostly polling station locations) as well as the Electoral Registration Officer and Assistant Electoral Registration Officer of the constituency. During other period of the year when revision programme is not going on, the application can be filed only with the Electoral Registration Officer.

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6) I have moved to a new city, when do I become eligible to register for voting from here? What is the process? If you are an Ordinary Resident at your current location i.e. you have been living at your current address for 6 months or longer you can vote at your current location.

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If you are already registered voter at your previous location or at your native place:-

First you have to request the cancelation of your name from the old place where you are already registered using Form No.7, as one person cannot vote at two places. Send filled Form No.7 to your previous location ERO office by post or personally. Then you can fill Form No.6 and submit it to your current location ERO office. (seen links at the end of this note for ERO offices) 2. If you are not yet registered anywhere (first time registration)

You can fill Form No.6 and submit it to your current location ERO office. (seen links at the end of this note for ERO offices) 7) DO I NEED TO REGISTER SEPARATELY TO GET A VOTER ID CARD? HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM VOTER REGISTRATION? Yes, you need to register separately to get a voter ID card. You need to fill a different form (Form 001) for this. You can do this either at the time of submitting your voter registration form (Form 6) or after you have submitted your voter registration form and your name appears in the voter list. Voter registration is the process to get your name included in the electoral rolls or voter lists of your constituency. Remember, it is mandatory to get voter registration done while it is not mandatory that you possess a voter ID card, to be eligible to vote! Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 69 - 71 8) HOW DO I REGISTER TO GET A VOTER ID CARD? HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK? To register for a voter ID card, you must fill and submit (Form 001)...You can submit Form 001 and get a voter ID card in either of the following ways: 1. 2. 3. If you are submitting your voter registration form (Form 6 / 8 / 8A) to your Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), you can also submit Form 001A to apply for a voter ID card at the same time. After you have become a registered voter i.e. after your name appears in voter list, you can submit Form 001C to your ERO. At specific time periods, Election Commission of India (ECI) organizes drives to issue voter ID cards to all registered voters through Designated Photographic Locations (DPL). During these drives, the ECI advertises in all major newspapers of the state. Citizens whose names appear on the voters' list are also given information notices by the EROs of each area. The notices issued contain useful information such as the name and age of the person, the house number, the constituency number, and the polling booth or part number. It also mentions the date on which the voter IDs will be issued for a particular polling booth / part and address of DPL.

Once the voter receives the notice, he/she must visit the DPL which is generally a school or government office in the locality. Each DPL will usually have two systems equipped with digital cameras. The voter ID card is issued in 10 to 15 minutes. While most of the above applies to all states in India, there might be some differences in the way in which different states issue voter ID cards. To know the exact rules, please visit the website of your state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 69 9) WHAT IS FORM 001? HOW DO I FILL IT? Form 001 is the application form required to be filled and submitted by voters to get a photo voter ID card, also called Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC).

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There are 2 types of Form 001: 1. Form 001A - For those who are applying for a voter ID card at the same time of applying for voter registration through Form 6/ 8/ 8A. Follow the instructions below to fill out Form 001A:

Enter the name of your state and Assembly Constituency (AC) in relevant fields. If you do not know your AC name and AC number, you can check it right here at jaagore.com Enter your name, the name of your relation and your address as mentioned in your voter registration form (Form 6 / 8/ 8A) Submit 2 copies of your recent passport sized photographs. Sign and affix one copy to the form (at shown box location) and attach the other copy separately to the form. Please enclose an attested photocopy of any photo-bearing document for verification of the photograph. In case the document is self-attested, then show the original at the time of submission of the Form in person] Drop this for along with your voter registration form (Form 6 / 8/ 8A) at the office of your Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) 2. Form 001C - For those who are already registered on electoral rolls, and are applying for a photo electoral roll or getting a voter ID card. Follow the instructions below to fill out Form 001C:

Under section I, enter the name of your state and Assembly Constituency (AC) in relevant fields. If you do not know your AC name and AC number, you can check it right here at jaagore.com Under section I, enter your name, the name of your relation and your address as mentioned in your voter registration form (Form 6) Ask your Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) to fill out section II, at the time of submitting your Form 001C. Under section III, enter your date of birth and attach a valid age proof document to the form Under section IV, affix 2 of your recent passport sized photographs one signed and other unsigned. Please enclose an attested photocopy of any photo-bearing document (from amongst the list mentioned in Form 001C) for verification of the photograph and date of birth. In case the document is self-attested, then show the original at the time of submission of the Form in person] Drop this form at the office of your ERO

10) SHOULD I PAY FOR A VOTER ID CARD? No, if you are getting a voter ID card for the first time. Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 72 (point 23) 11) WHO ISSUES THE VOTER ID CARD? Election Commission of India (ECI) through your Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 69 (point 6) 12) WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I LOSE MY VOTER ID CARD? You must lodge an FIR with the police in the area you lost your voter ID card / EPIC and submit a copy of the FIR along with Form 002, to your Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Designated photography Location (DPL) asking for a replacement. You must also pay a fee of Rs. 25. Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 72 (point 22) 13) MY VOTER ID CARD HAS BEEN LOST / DESTROYED/ MUTILATED. WHAT SHOULD I DO TO GET A REPLACEMENT? WHICH FORM SHOULD I FILL?

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You must apply for a duplicate voter ID card, through Form 002. You will have to submit this Form to your Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 72 (point 22) 14) IF I SHIFT MY ADDRESS, DO I NEED TO GET A NEW VOTER ID CARD? No, once issued, your voter ID card is valid FOREVER. The voter ID card is useful only as a voter identification document at polling booths on Election Day. Therefore, it remains valid even if you have changed your address from one area to another within the same city, one city to another within the same state or even from one state to another. Reference: ERO Handbook, pg. 71 (point 17) 15) DETAILS ON MY VOTER ID CARD ARE WRONG / DETAILS RELATED TO MY VOTER ID CARD IN THE ELECTORAL ROLL ARE WRONG. HOW DO I GET IT CORRECTED? You should apply for rectification of these errors through Form 004. You will have to submit this at the office of your Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or at the Designated Photography Location (DPL) when the process of Voter ID Card preparation is going on. Reference: ERO Handbook Summary: Most of the states allow online submission of your forms so you can necessary documents and upload it directly. Things that you should know: 1) If you don't have a voter id card, apply it now and fill both form 001A and form 6. 2) If you already have a voter id card, to check whether your name is already registered in the Voter list, follow the below mentioned website of your respective state and search for your name in the voter list available online. 3) If you don't have your name listed in the voter list which is available online, Fill form 6, you can submit this form online as well as submit in ERO (Electoral Registration Officers) office. 4) You must have 3 important documents before you fill any of these forms - ID Proof, Address proof & Age proof. IMP Links:1) Online voter Registration for Tamil Nadu: - http://elections.tn.nic.in/eregistration.htm List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):- http://www.indianembassy.it/EROTamilNadu.pdf 2) Online voter registration for Madhya Pradesh: http://india.gov.in/outerwin.php?id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ceomadhyapradesh.nic.in%2Flogin_reg.aspx List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):- http://ceomadhyapradesh.nic.in/ERO.aspx 3) Online voter registration for Kerala: - http://www.ceo.kerala.gov.in/eregistration.html List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):- http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/nri/ERO/Kerela.pdf 4) Online voter registration for Andhra Pradesh: - http://www.ceoandhra.nic.in/ceonew/home.aspx (look for E Registration Form 6 link) 5) Online voter registration for Karnataka: - http://www.voterreg.kar.nic.in/ Chief Electoral Officer: - http://164.100.80.163/ceokarnataka/ 6) Voter registration for Maharashtra: - http://ceo.maharashtra.gov.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):- http://ceo.maharashtra.gov.in/ERO.pdf

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Mumbai: http://www.mahasec.com/PDF/List_of_designated_locations/ERO/Mumbai_Suburban_ERO.pdf 7) Voter registration for Orissa: - http://ceoorissa.nic.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):- http://ebookbrowse.com/orissa-eros-list-pdf-d127872533 8) Voter registration for West Bengal: - http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):- http://www.indianembassy.it/EROWestBengal.pdf 9) Voter registration for Uttar Pradesh: - http://ceouttarpradesh.nic.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):- http://srdnagar.nic.in/DEO/Telephone/ERO.pdf 10) Voter registration for Arunachal Pradesh: - http://ceoarunachal.nic.in/ 11) Voter registration for Assam: - http://ceoassam.nic.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):- http://www.hcikingston.com/reg_forms/4-assam-list-ofelectoral-registration-officer.pdf 12) Voter registration for Bihar: - http://ceobihar.nic.in/ 13) Voter registration for GOA: - http://ceogoa.nic.in/ Check Election machinery on bottom left panel List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs): http://ceogoa.nic.in/erolist_new.aspx 14) Voter registration for Gujarat: - http://sec.gujarat.gov.in/voter-reg.htm 15) Voter registration for Haryana: - http://ceoharyana.nic.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):http://ceoharyana.nic.in/List%20of%20EROs.pdf List of AEROs: http://ceoharyana.nic.in/List%20of%20AEROs.pdf 16) Voter registration for Himachal Pradesh: - http://ceohimachal.nic.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):http://indembminsk.org/files/notifications/himachal_pradesh_list_eros.pdf 17) Voter registration for Jammu and Kashmir: - http://ceojammukashmir.nic.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs):http://ceojammukashmir.nic.in/ERos_AERos.html 18) Voter registration for Manipur: - http://ceomanipur.nic.in/ 19) Online Voter registration for Meghalaya: - http://ceomeghalaya.nic.in/ (look for E registration) List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs): http://ceomeghalaya.nic.in/contact.htm 20) Voter registration for Mizoram: - http://ceomizoram.nic.in/ 21) Voter registration for Nagaland: - http://ceonagaland.nic.in/ 22) Voter registration for Punjab: - http://ceopunjab.nic.in/English/home.aspx 23) Voter registration for Rajasthan: - http://ceorajasthan.nic.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs): http://ceorajasthan.nic.in/ECI-ERO-AERO-08.htm

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24) Voter registration for Sikkim: - http://ceosikkim.nic.in/ 25) Voter registration for Tripura: - http://ceotripura.nic.in/index.asp 26) Voter registration for Chhattisgarh: - http://ceochhattisgarh.nic.in/ 27) Voter registration for Jharkhand: - http://www.jharkhand.gov.in/ceo/ List of Electoral Registration Officers: http://www.jharkhand.gov.in/ceo/EROs.pdf 28) Voter registration for Uttarakhand: - http://ceo.uk.gov.in/ 29) Voter registration for Andaman & Nicobar: - http://ceoandaman.nic.in/ 30) Voter registration for Chandigarh: - http://ceochandigarh.nic.in/ 31) Voter registration for Dadra & Nagar Haveli: - http://ceodnh.nic.in/ 32) Voter registration for Daman & Diu: - http://ceodaman.nic.in/ 33) Voter registration for Lakshadweep: http://ceolakshadweep.gov.in/home.html;jsessionid=ECF2E252EF3F93117E0417E96914B368 34) Voter registration for Pondicherry: - http://ceopondicherry.nic.in/ 35) Voter registration for Delhi: - http://ceodelhi.gov.in/ List of Electoral Registration Officers: http://ceodelhi.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/file/ContactUs/ERO.pdf

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