HOW TO CHECK YOUR NAME IN VOTERS’ LIST,ANDWHATTODOIFITISMISSING

VOTING IN the first phase of Lok Sabha elections is on April 19. Newly eligible voters (those who were 18 years old as of April 1, 2024) must get their names enrolled in the voters’ list. Even older voters must ensure that their name is in the list, and has not been struck off for any reason.

Checking the electoral roll

One can check on the electoral roll on the website of the Election Commission of India (electoralsearch.eci.gov.in )oron the ECI’S Voter Helpline app. On the site, you can look up your name (i) by your Voter ID, or called “EPIC” (Elector’s Photo Identification Card), (ii) by your mobile phone number, or (iii) by your personal details such as name, date of birth, etc.

Provided one has the voter ID handy, or one’s mobile number is registered with the ECI, the first two methods are convenient. Checking by personal details may create a problem in returning a response if the Voter ID has a mistake — such as an error in the spelling of one’s name.

The voter’s list information on the EC website is displayed under the following columns: EPIC Number, Name, Age, Relative’s (Father’s/husband’s) name, State, District, Assembly constituency, and polling station.

If name is missing in roll

For those who have been registered voters earlier but now cannot find their names in the roll, there is still time to apply to become a voter for Phases 3 to 7 of the Lok Sabha elections.

The ECI carries out continuous updates to the electoral roll till the last date of nominations for the respective phase. In the case of Phase 1 (voting on April 19), the last date for nominations was March 27. The last date for nominations for Phase 2 (voting on April 26) was on April 4. And for phases 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the last dates for nominations are April 19, April 25, May 3,

May 6, and May 14 respectively.

ECI officials, however, advise that one should apply to have one’s name included in the electoral roll at least seven days before the last date of nomination. To do this, one has to fill in the relevant form, available on the ECI’S website.

For new voters

To register as a voter, one must fill in Form 6, which is available on the ECI website. Apart from filling in details like name, gender, address, date of birth and relative (father, mother, husband or wife), the applicantwillhavetogiveaself-attestedcopy of any one of the following documents to prove date of birth: birth certificate issued by competent local body/ municipal authority/ registrar of births and deaths; Aadhaar or PAN; driving licence; certificates of Class X or Class XII issued by CBSE/ ICSE or state education boards if it contains date of birth; and Indian passport.

A self-attested copy of address proof is also needed. One of several documents can be submitted for this purpose, including water/ electricity/ gas connection bill for that address for at least one year, current passbook of nationalised/ scheduled bank/ post office, an Indian passport, a registered rent-lease deed in case of a tenant, or a registered sale deed in case of own house.

You can apply on the ECI website.