The Election Commission of India was setup on 25th January 1950 and to mark this, the day is celebrated as National Voter’s day every Year. It is a constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes to Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislatures and the offices of President and Vice President in India. The first general Elections post Independence took place during 1951-52 and the latest General Elections took place in the year 2014. One can observe a lot of transformation in the administration of the Election Commission from then to now. In 2014 Elections, highest ever Voter turnout was recorded. This is more or less, due to the digitization of the Electoral Processes by the Election Commission. Almost all the services of the Election Commission of India were made Online as a result of which the processes for Enrollment of Name in Electoral Rolls, Getting a Voter ID Card, making Corrections to it etc., have become lot easier compared to that of a few years back. In this article all the important aspects of Voter ID Card are covered in brief.
Everything Related To Voter ID – A Brief Guide
Applying a New Voter ID card
This is the first and foremost step to become a part of the Democratic Process of the country. All the citizens of the country who attained the age of 18 can apply for a Voter ID Card. Only those who possess this Voter ID Card, known as EPIC (Elector’s Photo Identity Card) can vote in any elections. Hence it is our duty to get the Voter Id Card at the earliest. A voter ID Card can be applied in two ways Offline and Online. However Offline process is generally a time consuming process as the applicant need to visit the ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) and may stand in lines for waiting for their turn. Hence it is always advisable to opt for Online process which can be done right from our comfort zone and also it is a faster process than the former one. Let us see how to apply for a new Voter ID Card in both Offline and Online Processes.
How To Apply For a Voter ID Card Through Offline Process
- Find the Electoral Registration Office of your Assembly constituency
- Go there and ask for Form6. This is the form to be filled for registering Name in the Electoral Lists.
- Carry the following documents with you both in Original as well as photocopy.
- Date of Birth Certificate
- Address Proof
- Photo Identity Proof
- And recent Coloured Passport Sized Photograph
- The Applicant must submit a filled in Form – 6 to the ERO of the Assembly Constituency. The form6 is available in the office. However you can download it online.
Click here to download form 6.
- After Filling the form6, paste the Photo and attach the above documents and submit it to the concerning officer.
- If all the entries are found to be legitimate, your application will be accepted and acknowledged for the same.
- Your EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card) or Voter ID Card will reach you in 6 to 8 months by post to the address for communication you mentioned in your application.
How To Apply For a Voter ID Card Through Online Process
Online process is an easy method compared to the offline process. You can fill the form6 online and can upload the documents (soft copies),hence no need to go out and search the ERO’s office and wait in long lines for hours to get things done. Moreover online process takes 1 to 2 months which is very less when compared to the offline process.
- Go to the National Voter’s Service Portal
Click here to go to the website.
- Click on Apply Online for Registration of New Voter. Or simply click here to go to the form6 page directly.
- Fill the form6 online and upload the Identity Proof, Address Proof and Photo.
- After Successful Upload, Click on Submit.
- A confirmation page will appear. Save the tracking Number. This will be used to track the status of the application.
- Within one month the Booth Level Officer, will visit your address for verification of the Details.
- You are supposed to provide the Originals of the documents you uploaded for verification purpose.
- If the details are found to be legitimate, he/she will acknowledge that the verification is done.
- Your EPIC will reach you by post within one month.
Step-by-step : How to fill Form6 Online / Offline
- Select your State and Assembly / Parliamentary Constituency
- Type your Name and Surname in the relevant boxes. The same will automatically appear in your vernacular language as per your State. Don’t fill it separately.
- Select your gender and enter your exact Age or Date of Birth.
- Enter the details of your Place of Birth.
- Enter your Father’s / Mother’s or Husband’s name and also enter the type of relation from the drop down list.
- Enter your Complete address.
- Enter your Mobile number and Email ID. These are very Useful for communication.
- Enter details of members of your family who are already included in the Electoral rolls. (optional)
- Upload supporting documents viz Photograph, Identity proof, Address Proof.
- Fill the declaration part as applicable and click on Submit.
- That’s it, you application for Enrollment of your name in Electoral rolls of the Country is done.
- In case of offline applicants, they should get the hard copy of the form6 form the ERO’s office or can download Online and print it and fill it in Capital Letters.
- Click here to download Form6 for Offline application.
- Fill it completely as explained above and Paste your Photo in the space Provided.
- Attach all the supporting Documents and Submit by hand to the concerned person in the office.
Note: Form6 is only for the citizens who are residing in India. But the citizens residing in foreign country who did not acquire foreign Nation’s Citizenship should fill the Form 6a to get their name included in the Electoral roll of the Country and get a Voter ID Card. Let us see how to fill form 6a.
How To fill Form 6a For Indian Citizen Living In Foreign Country
Form 6a is mostly similar to the form 6 which is discussed above but differs slightly as the details like Passport and Visa should also be entered in the form.
- Click here to get form6a.
- Fill all the details which are similar to form 6 as said above.
- In the address part, enter the address which is present in your Passport.
- Enter the details of the Passport including the Date of Issue and Date of Expiry.
- Enter the Visa Number.
- Enter the Date of Issue and Date of expiry of the Visa.
- You may fill the non-mandatory fields as you may wish.
- Select the Reason of being absent from the place of ordinary residence in India.
- Enter the Date from which you were absent from ordinary residence in India
- Enter the Residential and official of the country where you currently live in.
- Upload your Photograph and Valid Pages of your Pssport
- Check the declaration and Enter place and Date and click on Submit.
- That’s it, you are done applying for enrolment of your name in Electoral rolls of India though you stay outside India.
Voter ID Card Status
After applying for Voter ID Card by Offfline/Online method it takes time for the Voter ID Card to reach you depending on the method you opted. Meanwhile, you can check the Status of your application by various methods. This enables you to assess the arrival of your Voter ID Card through post. The following are some of the methods to check your Voter ID Card Status.
Methods to Check Voter ID Status
Those who applied Voter ID through online or offline method can check their application Status by four simple methods.
- Visiting ERO’s office
- Through State Election Commission’s website
- Through SMS
- Through a Helpline Number
- Through NVSP Portal
Let us see in brief each of the above methods
1. Visiting ERO’s Office
- One can find the Electoral Registration Officer’s office and can ask the concerning officer about the status of your application.
- They will ask you to provide Enrollment ID, or Tracking ID or Acknowledgement of your application. Once you provide any one of them, you can know the status of your Voter ID Card.
2. Checking Voter ID Status Through State Election Commission’s Website
- You can check the Status of your Voter ID Card by Visiting the State election Commission’s website,
Click here for the links of all the State Election Commission Websites.
- In the Election Commission’s website of particular state, you can check the status of your application if it belongs to that particular State.
3. Checking Voter ID Status Through SMS
This is perhaps the easiest way to check the Voter ID Status especially for those who don’t access internet frequently.
- Type EPIC<space> Your Voter ID Application Number
- Send the SMS to the number 9211728082
4. Checking Voter ID Status Through Helpline Numbers:
You can also know the Status of your Voter ID Card by dialing the customer care number of their respective State Election Commission.
- Open the state Election Commission Website
- To know the URL of the website, check the Election Commission of India’s website by clicking here or directly click this link.
- After opening the State Election Commission’s website, click on Contact us and scroll down for toll-free numbers.
- Before calling that number keep the Enrollment ID or Tracking ID with you as the executive may ask you over phone.
5. Checking Voter ID Status Through NVSP Portal
You can also check the Status of your Voter ID by Election Commission of India’s website National Voter’s Service Portal (NVSP) which is a one stop website for various services relating to Electoral Process. Using the portal, One can register for new Voter ID Card, Check Voter ID Status, Make Changes to Existing Voter ID Cards etc.
Click here to go to NVSP
- After opening the Portal, scroll down and find ‘Correction Of Entries in Electoral Roll’.
- Then a page with various forms will open.
- On the top of the Page you can find a link to Track Application Status.
- Click on the link and enter your reference ID to track the status of your application.
Thus you can check the status of your application in any of the above methods. For more details on Voter ID Card Status, click here.
Corrections To Voter ID Card
Now let us see how to make Corrections to your Voter ID Card.
How To Make Corrections To Our Voter ID Card
Correcting details in your Voter ID Card too require filling the relevant form, ie., form 8. Through this form one can Make corrections to the following
- Name
- Age
- Gender
- Father’s / Mother’s / Husband’s Name
- Address
- Elector’s Photo Identity Card Number
- Photograph
Form8 can be filled by two ways, Offline and Online
In offline process one need to go to the local Electoral Office, and should ask for form8. However one can also download it from the National Voter’s Service Portal (NVSP) and fill it Offline and can submit it to the concerning Officer. Offline process generally involves waiting in long queues, or waiting for the concerning officer and it takes a lot of time to get completed. Hence Online method is always better. However, Online process is similar to the Offline process but can be done right from our home.
Click here to go to NVSP.
or
Click here to directly get the form8.
After deciding which method you want to opt for, you should fill it completely and correctly and should submit it. Let us see step-by-step, how to fill the form8 correctly.
Step-by-Step : How To Fill Form 8
You can click this link for Online submission of form8.
Part- I of the form
- Select the State and Assembly / Parliamentary Constituency to which you belong from the drop down list in the form. In offline method write the same in Capital Letters.
- Enter your Name and Surnameas per your Original Documents correctly in English. The same will appear automatically in your local language as per your State, no need to fill it separately. In offfline form, you are supposed to write them in English as well as in your Vernacular language.
- Enter the Part number of your electoral roll.
- Select your Gender, and Enter your Correct Age or Date of Birthby selecting the relevant box. You need to tick the same in the offline method and write the the age or Date of Birth.
- EnterFather’s/ Mother’s/ or Husband’s name and indicate the relevant relation in the separate box below. In case of offline method, you shoud write the same.
Part- II of Form8
- In this Part, enter the full and correct Address of where you live currently.(Current address) This address is used for communication
- Also make sure to have an Address Proof ready with you to be uploaded in later Part. In case of Offline method, you are supposed to take the photocopy of the address Proof and should attach it along with other documents.
Part- III of Form8
- In Part- III, you should enter the Details of Elector’s Photo Identity Card / Voter ID Card (if already issued, in the current or some other constituency).
- If not issued, you can leave this part empty. Same is the case with Offline Method.
- In the same Part, you should upload the Scanned copies Supporting documents like Photo, Identity Proof and Address Proof. Also make sure to preserve the originals safe until verification. In case of Offline method, you should have all the hard copies of the above said documents to be attached along with your application for verification purpose. Also you should carry the originals of the documents attached as the officer may ask you for cross checking.
Part- IV of Form8
- This is very important part in form8. Here you should select the Details of entries to be corrected.
- You can select as many as possible from the available options.
- In case of Offline process, tick mark as many options as required from those present.
- Enter the Place, Date, Mobile Number and email Idand click on
- After Successful Submission, a confirmation page will be displayed and you are done applying for Voter ID Card Correction.
- Offline applicants should write Mobile Number and email Id and should submit it to the concerning officer. He will check and if found correct, will acknowledge you the receipt of your application.
How to apply for Transposition
Transposition of the Voter ID Card is required when you change from one place to another in the same constituency. To apply for Transposition, you need to be having EPIC and should fill form 8A. Letus see how to fill this form8a for Transposition.
Step-by-Step : How To Fill Form 8a
- Click here to get form 8a
- Select the name of your state and Assembly / Parliamentary Constituency from the drop down list.
- Type your Name and Surname in the relevant boxes.
- Enter the Part Number of Electoral roll in which your name is included
- Enter the serial number in that part
- Enter your Electors Photo Identity Card number / Voter Id Card Number (if already issued)
- Enter your Father’s / Mother’s or Husband’s name and also enter the type of relation from the drop down list.
- Enter your Complete address including Pincode
- Enter your Mobile number and Email ID. These are very useful for communication.
- Enter the Period of continuous residence at the above address on the date of application in years and months.
- Enter the Part Number to which the entry need to be transposed.
- Enter the details of the applicant again
- Enter Place and Date and click on Submit.
For more details on Transposition and how to fill form8a, Click here.
Deletion of Name from Electoral Roll
Deletion of Name from the Electoral rolls will be done generally in the following cases.
- When the Voter want to vote in a new constituency instead of his current constituency. (Provided he will support the new application with Proof of address in the new constituency)
- Due to death of a person, his relatives can apply for removal of his/ her name from Electoral rolls
- When one shifts from one Constituency to another Constituency permanently can acquire new EPIC after the deletion of Name from the electoral Roll of the existing Constituency.
- When a person found to be obtaining the Citizenship of another Nation etc.
So, whatever the reason may be, the applicant should mention it in the application form i.e, form7. Now let us see how to fill this form for deletion of Name from Electoral Roll.
Step-by-Step : How To Fill Form7
- Click here to open form 7
- Select the name of your state and Assembly / Parliamentary Constituency from the dropdown list.
- Type your Name and Surname in the relevant boxes.
- Enter the Part Number of Electoral roll in which your name is included
- Enter the serial number in that part
- Enter your Electors Photo Identity Card number / Voter Id Card Number (if already issued)
- Enter the same details of the Objector
- Enter the Complete address of the Objector.
- Enter the reason for objection or deletion.
- In the declaration part Enter Place and Date, Mobile Number and email ID.
- Click on Submit. After Submission you will get acknowledgement for the same.
Let us Tabulate all the Important Forms Relating to Voter ID Card
| Form Name | Purpose of the form | Link |
| Form 6 | To Enroll Name in the Electoral Roll | Click here |
| Form 6a | To enroll Name in the Electoral Roll (for Indian Citizens residing in Foreign Countries) | Click here |
| Form 7 | Deletion of Name from the Electoral Roll | Click here |
| Form 8 | For Making Corrections in EPIC | Click here |
| Form 8a | For applying Transposition | Click here |
Thus In this article we learnt How to Enroll Our Name in Electoral Roll / How to apply for a New Voter Id Card, How to Check the Status of our Application, How to correct our details in our Voter ID Card, How to apply for Transposition, How to apply for objection/ Deletion of the Name of a particular Voter in brief.
Get All Voter ID Forms Here
If you want to read the above topics in detail, follow the below links.
Click here to know how to apply for a New Voter ID Card.
Click here to know How to Check the Status of your Voter ID Card.
Click here to know How to make Corrections in your Voter ID Card.
Click here to know How to apply for Transposition.
I want my voter id number by my name, but How?
my wife have voter card in kolkata, card no—wb/18/112/378743. but she never change her surname, after marrage in 1999, presently she is staying in mysore. can you pls guide how to change her card details, like change of address, change of surname, change of state from west bengal to karnataka,mysore.