You can register for a new Voter ID Card for free either in person or online by filling out Form 6, which is the application form to register as a voter in India.
If you meet all the requirements (( Voter Portal, Election Commission of India, available at https://voterportal.eci.gov.in/)), your name will be added to an ‘electoral roll’ which is a list of names of voters in a particular constituency.
Download Form 6 which is available in Hindi, English, and Malayalam and fill it out, or look up your Electoral Registration Officers or the Booth Level Officers and request for Form 6. If you are a disabled person, you will receive assistance at the office.
Step 2: Include Supporting Documents
If you are filling the form online or in person, you will need self-attested documents:
- Recent colored, passport-size photo
- Copy of Age Proof (Birth Certificate, School Certificates (Xth and XIIth))
- Copy of Address Proof (Passport, Aadhar Card, Driving License)
If you have filled the application in person, you must submit the Form and the documents to the Electoral Registration Officers or the Booth Level Officers of your polling station. You can find out where the offices are here. If you have filled Form 6 online, then you do not have to visit the office. You can even send the form via post to the offices along with the required self-attested documents.
Step 4: Wait for Voter ID Card
A booth level officer will visit the address given in the Form, to verify the details you gave in your application. After the Voter ID card is ready, a booth level officer will either send/drop it off to your address or will request you to collect it from the Electoral Registration Office. Your name will be added to an ‘electoral roll’ which is a list of names of voters in a particular constituency. You can even check online if your name is on the electoral roll.
There is a ban on loudspeakers during the silence period – 48 hours prior to the date of polling.
They cannot be fitted on any vehicles, buildings, etc., and if anyone does this, it is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). After the 48 hours are over, proper permissions from the District Administration have to be taken to use them again.(( Page 142-Point 4, Compendium of Instructions on Model Code of Conduct, 2018, can be accessed at https://eci.gov.in/files/file/9166-compendium-of-instructions-on-model-code-of-conduct-2018/.))
A candidate or their agents cannot ply voters to the polling station i.e. provide conveyance to voters to or from a polling station on voting day.
The punishment for doing this is a fine of up to Rs. 500.(( Section 123 (5),Representation of the People Act, 1951.))
For example, a party or a candidate cannot hire a bus and give rides to voters on the voting day.
However, if you are a person with a disability you can register yourself on the PWD App(( PWD App, Google Play, available at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pwd.eci.com.pwdapp&hl=en_IN&gl=US.)) (Android) and the election authorities can provide you transport to and from the polling station on that day.
You can apply to change your details provided in your Voter ID card only for the specific reasons given below(( Voter Portal FAQ, Election Commission of India, available at https://voterportal.eci.gov.in/faq)):
In case of incorrect name, age, Date of birth, etc.
If you wish to change or correct your name, photo, age, Voter ID Card Number or EPIC number, address, date of birth, gender, name of relative or type of relation in your voter ID card, you must fill Form 8 and submit it either online or physically to the Electoral Registration Officer.
In case of shifting houses within the constituency
If you are shifting your permanent place of residence within the same constituency, you must have your address changed in the electoral roll. In order to do so, you must fill Form 8A and submit it either online or physically to the Electoral Registration Officer.
In case you shift outside of your current constituency
If you are shifting your permanent residence to a place outside your constituency, you must have your name deleted from the present electoral roll or have someone file an application to remove your name for you. Once you have done this, you must re-register yourself as a new voter and check the box in Form 6 next to ‘due to shifting from another constituency’ and submit it to the Electoral Registration Officer.
A party or candidate cannot campaign in any manner which would result in creating tension or hatred between different castes and religious communities.
The MCC does not allow anyone or any organization to use religion to further the prospects of a candidate or a political party during an election, irrespective of their relationship to the political party/individual candidate. For example, political parties, candidates, religious/cultural organizations, associations or individuals cannot campaign in favour of or against certain political parties or candidate by holding any meetings, conclaves, processions, religious congregations, etc.
Some of the actions that are prohibited are(( Model Code of Conduct, Election Commission of India, available at eci.gov.in.)):
- No one can use religion and play on religious sentiments of voters.
- No one can ask for votes by influencing someone to believe that there is a religious punishment by god or a divine power which will occur to them, if they don’t vote for a particular candidate.(Section 123(3), Representation of the People Act, 1951.))
- No one should use religion to create disharmony among different groups of people.(( Section 153A, Indian Penal Code (IPC); Section 125, Representation of the People Act, 1951.))
- No one should make any malicious statements which would attack the personal life of any politician.(( Section 123(4), Representation of the People Act, 1951.))
- Temples, mosques, churches and other places of worship cannot be used for any election campaigning.
Some examples of violations of MCC by using religion for campaigning are:
- If pictures of politicians are put up on billboards outside the temple entrance.
- If money is given by a political party to beggars outside a temple to get votes.
Announcement of Voting Day
The announcement of voting dates will be made by the Election Commission of India and it is made available on their website. It will include the dates on which voting will take place in your State. (( Section 135B, The Representation of People Act, 1951.))
Paid Holiday
The day on which voting takes place in your constituency, it is supposed to be declared as a paid holiday by law. This is to allow you to vote freely without any pressure from your workplace. If you are employed at any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment or even as a daily wage laborer, you must be given a paid leave by your employer on the day of voting.
Punishment for Employer
If you do not get a paid leave on that day, your employer can be punished with a fine of maximum Rs. 500. (( Section 135B, The Representation of People Act, 1951.))
Government advertisements usually inform the public of their rights, duties and entitlements and also explain government policies, programmes, services and initiatives. In order to prevent achieve this purpose, government advertisements should be objective, politically neutral and should not promote the political interest of the ruling party.
For example, while advertising the mid-day meal scheme offered by the government, the ruling party cannot use these advertisements in order to glorify leaders and candidates of their party. Adding names and photos of the party leaders to these advertisements would be a violation of MCC.
Therefore during the time of the election, the ruling party cannot(( Rule VII – Party in Power, Model Code of Conduct – Election Commission of India, available at https://eci.gov.in/mcc/.)):
- Use funds from public exchequer reserved for government advertisements for their own re-election.
- Project a positive impression of the party in power or a negative impression of other political parties through these advertisements.
Content of Government Advertisements
Advertisement materials of the government must not(( State of Karnataka v. Common Cause and Ors., etc., (2016) 13 SCC 639)):
- Mention the party in the government by name;
- Directly attack the views or actions of others in opposition;
- Include their own party political symbol or logo or flag;
- Aim to influence public support for a political party, candidate for election; or
- Refer to link to the websites of political parties or politicians.
Verifying your name on the electoral roll is important. Before you go to the polling station to cast your vote, you can verify if your name is included in the electoral list of your constituency, by any of the following methods(( Voter Portal FAQ, Election Commission of India, available at https://voterportal.eci.gov.in/faq.)):
Online
You can visit NVSP’s Electoral Search website and fill in the required details, such as your name, age, the State, district and the assembly constituency where you reside. If you are on the electoral roll, your details along with your EPIC number will be verified by the website.
In Person
If you are not able to verify your name online, you can call 1950 and ask for the details of the office where you can go to check your name on the electoral list. They will also inform you to take relevant documents or identification for the purpose of verification.
Political parties and candidates are not allowed to use public properties/places for political advertisements. They cannot write on the walls, paste any posters/papers, erect/display any cutouts, hoardings, banners, flags etc as a part of election campaigning. Some examples of public properties are(( Chapter 12, Manual on Model Code of Conduct, available at https://eci.gov.in/files/file/9375-manual-on-model-code-of-conduct/)):
- Railway stations, railway flyovers, bus stands, airports, bridges,
- Government hospitals, post offices,
- Government buildings, municipal buildings, etc.
If a political party or candidate, puts up any of their campaign material on a public property, then it will be an MCC violation.
Follow the steps given below to find your polling station to vote. (( Section 25, The Representation of People Act, 1951.))
Polling Booth/Station
If you are a registered voter with a Voter ID Card, then you have to visit a polling station on the voting day in your constituency.
A polling booth or station is fixed at a building or a hall where the voters of the concerned polling area cast their votes. Usually polling stations are set up in permanent places like schools, government buildings etc, but they can also be set up in private buildings or buildings outside the polling area if space is not available.
Finding Your Polling Station
You can find out where your polling station is, by visiting the National Voters Services Portal.
The polling station will usually be only 2 kilometers away from your place of residence. Only in hilly areas or forest areas, it may be set up further away.
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