You can be disqualified from voting if you have been convicted of the following offences:
No. A person who is not a citizen of India is not eligible for registration as a voter in the electoral rolls in India. Even those who have ceased to be citizens of India on acquiring the citizenship of another country are not eligible to be enrolled in the electoral rolls in India.
The Returning Officer of your home constituency will send you and your wife postal ballots via Indian Postal Service. You can even ask the Returning Officer to have the postal ballot delivered to you personally. If the postal ballot does not reach you and is returned to the Returning Officer as undelivered, he will send it to you again by post.(( ETPBS & Service Voter, Election Commission of India, available at https://eci.gov.in/divisions-of-eci/it-applications-etpbs-servicevoter/))
If you are living in a rented house, then get the following documents:
No, you must be present in India to vote. You can register yourself as an NRI voter but to cast your vote, you must be present in the constituency of the address mentioned in your passport. There is a Bill pending in the Parliament, that if passed, will allow an NRI to vote through a proxy.
No. You cannot vote together with your friends. Only one person is allowed inside the polling station at a time and there is a strict procedure followed so that secrecy is maintained throughout.
When you cast your vote, it is a secret ballot. Which means that no one can force you to tell them who you voted for. However, you can tell people who you voted for if you wish to do so. You won’t be punished for the same.
Opinion polls, also known as exit polls, are not real results of the elections. Various organisations and media agencies conduct opinion polls by different methods such as surveys to predict what the outcome of the elections might be. The Press Council of India has issued guidelines on how these surveys should be conducted.
It is not compulsory for you to cast your vote, hence there won’t be any consequences if you don’t vote. But it is advisable to do so as voting is the exercise of your democratic duty in selecting the government.
Yes, a candidate can vote as he is registered as a voter in the electoral roll.
Yes, the media is allowed limited entry into the counting halls to cover the counting of ballots, but only after they have taken prior permission from the Election Commission. Only those media personnel who are referred by the Press Information Bureau and Directorates of Information and Public Relations of States are given this permission.
No, the party or person is committing a crime by paying you money. This is an act of ‘bribery’. If you accept any money or gifts with the intention of voting for someone who you would not vote for, then you are committing a crime for which you can be punished with jail time up to one year with a fine.
If two candidates have the same name, then on the Electronic Voting Machine, the election officers will add the occupation or residence or any other distinguishing information to the name of the candidate. This will make it easier for you to vote.
Yes, a homeless person can register for a Voter ID card. While filing Form 6, the person has to put in the address of the street where he sleeps at night. The Booth Level Officer will visit that street at night to ascertain that you actually sleep at the place and no documentary proof of residence shall be necessary. The Booth Level Officer will visit more than one night for such verification.
No, prisoners who have been sentenced to jail time or people in the custody of the police are not allowed to vote. If you have been detained in jail without a conviction, then you can vote.(( Section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.; Aman Lohia vs. Kiran Lohia [ TC(C) 25 OF 2021])) 15 days before the election takes place, you have to tell the returning officer by post that you wish to vote by specifying your name, address, address of place of detention and electoral roll number. You will be sent a postal ballot which you will have to fill in the presence of the Superintendent of Jail or Commandant of the detention camp or any election officer. The method of voting by postal ballot is the same as that of a service voter.
Candidates cannot campaign for 48 hours before polling. If they are at the polling booth with a view of attracting members to vote for them , they will be punished with jail time of up to 2 years and/or fine. The candidate can only come to the polling booth to cast their vote and nothing more.(( Section 130, Representation of Peoples Act, 1951.))
If your left-hand thumb is missing, then you can give the thumb impression using your right-hand thumb. If the thumbs on both hands are missing, then the impression of one of the fingers of the left hand starting from the forefinger will be taken. If you do not have any fingers on the left-hand, then the impression on the fingers of the right hand will be taken, If no fingers are there on both hands, then you will need to seek assistance from a person whose thumb impression will be taken in the same manner. A person assisting you known as a companion is a person who is more than 18 years old and comes to sign or assist on behalf of the voter. The details of the companion will be taken down by the electoral officer. However, a companion can only act on behalf of only one person at a polling station for the day and polling staff cannot act on behalf of someone as a companion.(( Persons with Disabilities, Election Commission of India, available at https://eci.gov.in/persons-with-disabilities/))
Through NVSP, a user can avail and access various services such as(( National Voter Service Portal, Election Commission of India, available at https://www.nvsp.in/)):
You will have to create an account with a User ID and Password for accessing the NVSP services.
If the movie actor is affiliated with a political party and is a candidate for that party, then the actor cannot urge the voters to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, including himself or herself. The movie actor cannot conduct any press conferences, hold public meetings or go on the television or radio to make statements in favor of himself or any other political party/candidate. The actor may be punished with jail time up to 2 years and/or fine.(( Section 126, Representation of People Act (no person is construed as including a movie actor) ))
Through the Lok Sabha elections you are electing the Members of Parliament1 who will represent your constituency at the national level.
A representative elected in the General Elections is elected for a term of 5 years to the lower house of the Parliament.2
The Lok Sabha elections also decide who will be the Prime Minister of our country. Through these elections, the winning party is decided who will nominate the person to be the Prime Minister.
Every state is equitably represented in Lok Sabha. A state is divided into constituencies based on where people live and how many people live there and one member from each constituency is elected to represent them in the Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament.
The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People or the Lower House of the Parliament, is composed of 550 members3 who represent the people of India across all states and territories. The elections for the Lok Sabha are also commonly known as the General Elections.
Through the State elections you are electing the Members of the State Legislature who will represent your constituency at the state level. The State Legislature might have an Vidhan Parishad (Upper House) or not, but it always has the Vidhan Sabha (Lower House).1
Each member of Lower House of a state is elected for 5 years, and each member of Upper House is elected for 6 years.
The number of members of the State Legislature varies across states, depending upon the population in that state. For example, the State Legislature of Uttar Pradesh has a considerably greater number of members than Pudcherry.
Every Indian citizen atleast the age of 181 has the right to participate and vote in national, state, district as well as local government body elections. You have to register yourself as a voter on the electoral roll of your constituency. To register on the electoral roll you have to ensure that2:
Please follow the steps given below to know how to vote.
Before you go to the polling station, please verify if your name is on the electoral roll of your constituency. You can do that by checking the list here.
Indian Resident Voter:
Take your Voter ID card with you to the polling station. If you do not have a Voter ID card, you can take other forms of identification also. But only those that have the same address as the one mentioned in the electoral roll of your constituency/Voter ID card.
NRI Voter1:
Take your passport with you to the polling station.
You will have to wait in line till your turn comes to vote. The women, men and people with disabilities will be allowed to enter separately and only one voter can enter at a time. You will see a notice which is displayed on the polling station building or hall, which gives information regarding:
As you enter the polling booth, the First polling officer will verify if you have the valid ID and you are on the electoral roll. Once it is verified that you are a bonafide voter the Second Polling Officer will put an ink mark on your left index finger. This is done to ensure the voting officials of the fact that you have voted and to not allow a person to vote multiple times.
If you do not have a left index finger then watch this video to understand what will be done. If you already have an ink mark on your finger or if you refuse to put the ink mark, then you will not be allowed to vote.
The officer will2:
After this, you will have to proceed to the voting compartment.
As a voter, you will cast your ballot by using an EVM Machine or Electronic Voting Machine. It is a machine which is operated electronically and helps record votes.3
An Electronic Voting Machine consists of two Units – a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit – joined by a five-meter cable. The Control Unit is kept with the Presiding Officer or a Polling Officer and the Balloting Unit is placed inside the voting compartment, where you vote. The Presiding Officer or the Polling Officer releases the ballot for you so that you can cast your vote,
A list of candidates’ names and symbols will be available with a blue button next to it. You have to press the button next to the name of the candidate’s name that you wish to vote for. If you do not wish to vote for any particular candidate, then you have the option to select the NOTA – None of the Above option in the EVM Machine.
Right after you have voted, you will see a green light on the VVPAT Machine will be placed next to the EVM Machine, which will indicate that you have voted. You will also see a printed slip which is printed containing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate which you can see through a transparent window for 7 seconds. This printed slip automatically gets cut and falls in the sealed drop box of the VVPAT.
You cannot vote more than once and even if you make a mistake, you cannot undo it. Even if your name comes twice in the electoral roll or your name comes in two different constituencies electoral rolls, you can only vote once. If you vote twice, then both your votes are not counted. There is nothing you have to do after all this is over. Once you exit the polling station, you have completed the voting process.
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 requirements1, 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.
If you are filling the form online or in person, you will need self-attested documents:
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.
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.
You can apply to change your details provided in your Voter ID card only for the specific reasons given below1:
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.
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.
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.
Family & Marriage
Money & Property
Crimes & Violence
Police & Courts
Labour & Employment
Health & Environment
Citizen Rights & Constitution
Government & Elections
Media & Intellectual Property
Videos
Guides
Sample Forms
Statewise Information
General
Children
Women
LGBTQI+
Employees
Persons with Disabilities
Scheduled Castes & Tribes
Senior Citizens
Informal Workers