Exercising one's franchise is every Indian citizen's right as per the Indian Constitution and to do this, one requires a voter's ID card. Every Indian citizen above the age of 18 years is permitted to apply for a voter ID/election card. In addition to allowing an individual to take part in the democratic process, it also serves as valid identification proof for everything from applying for a loan to buying a house. Generally,people put off applying for one due to the long-drawn-out application process.
Earlier, it was possible to apply for a voter's card only prior to an election, either local or national. However, the Election Commission of India has now made it easier to apply for a voter's card from the comfort of your home through an online application process.
*Your PAN Card is valid for lifetime because it is unaffected by any change in address.
The online enrollment process of a new Voter ID is very simple. All you have to do is go to the Election Commission of India (ECI) homepage, the official website for voter id registration. The website has everything you would need to know about the election process in India, from electoral rolls to the election schedules for upcoming elections across the country. It also has a list of guidelines for voters and various application forms to register to vote. There are a number of forms, based on the service you wish to avail. These range from name change, the inclusion of name in electoral roll for citizens residing in India, as well as separate forms for those who live overseas and members of the armed forces, those in government service, etc. You would have to select the form for new voter application, which is Form 6.
To find the form you have to select National Voters Service Portal on the homepage of ECI website. Under the "National Services" section, click on Apply online for new voter. This will take you to the online application form.
In short, the steps involved in the online application process are as follows:
Once you submit, you will receive an email on the email address that you have provided. This email will have a link to a personal Voter's ID page. You will be able to track your voter ID application through this page, and you should receive your Voter ID card in a month from your application.
To apply for a voter ID card online, you would require the following documents:
The eligibility criteria for Voter's ID Card can be summed up as follows:
There are many benefits for voter id online enrollment. Some of them are mentioned below:
The process of transitioning from an old Voter's ID card to a new one is fairly straightforward. However, it should be noted that the e-PIC Voter ID is available in a PDF format and is currently being issued to only to the applicants who have registered themselves for their Voter's ID card after November 2020.
The steps for the same are listed below:
The steps mentioned below have to be followed to complete the verification process of a Voter's ID card: