Lok Sabha elections 2024: Know your voting rights

April 18, 2024 05:11 pm | Updated April 19, 2024 10:22 am IST

A citizen can be enrolled as a voter when he or she is 18 years old as on January 1 of the year electoral rolls are prepared. The electoral rolls are revised once in five years as well as prior to an election. The Election Commission periodically does house-to-house enumeration. But the onus is on you to register as a voter.

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Here are some of the rights a voter needs to be aware of:

You can be registered only at one place

If you are 18 years or above, as of 1st January 2024, you are eligible to vote in the ongoing general elections. But it is important to know that a voter can be enrolled only at one place. Registration in more than one place is an offence.

You can only be enrolled as a voter at your ordinary place of residence. This means that you should register to vote in the constituency where you currently reside.

If you have shifted from one place of residence to another within the same constituency, you can use Form 8 to update your details. This form allows you to shift your voter registration from one address to another within the same constituency.

Also read:How to check for your name in the voter list

Alternative proofs you can use to cast your vote without voter ID card

The electors have to identify themselves with either the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Commission or any other documentary proof as prescribed by the Commission.

Ration card is not a valid identification proof for voting.

Other documents you can use to cast your vote without voter ID are: Aadhaar card MNREGA job card Health insurance smart card issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Driving Licence PAN card Smart card issued by the Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner Passport Pension document with photograph Identity card issued by any Central or State government agency Identity card issued to MLAs or MPs.

Possession of an EPIC or other proof does not entitle you to vote

Owning a voter ID card or a document prescribed by the Commission does not guarantee that you will be permitted to vote. It is essential that your name appears on the electoral rolls. Once you have verified that your name is on the electoral roll and you possess a valid identification document prescribed by the Election Commission, you are entitled to cast your vote.

How to file a complaint during election?

If you need to file a complaint related to electoral matters, you can either contact your Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or by using the National Grievance Services portal or the Voter Helpline app.

What if I press a wrong button on EVM?

If you happen to press the wrong button on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) during an election, you can approach the polling officer to reset the machine and allow you to cast your vote again.

Right to ‘refuse to vote’

Many electors are unaware of their right to “refuse to vote” even after registering their identities before the presiding officer. The electors can abstain from voting even after reaching the polling booth. While the NOTA (None Of The Above) option allows voters to express their lack of confidence in any of the candidates seeking mandate, the ‘refusal to vote’ option allows an elector to shun the poll process in its entirety.

What if someone else has voted on your behalf?

You can still vote if someone else has cast the vote in your name. The Rule 49P of the Conduct of Elections Rules allows the voter to cast vote using a “Tendered Ballot Paper.” The Presiding Officer will collect it and keep it separate.

How to complain anonymously if you see malpractices during voting?

You can use the cVIGIL, a citizen mobile application, to capture an image or a video of the malpractice that you witnessed, and the Election Commission assures of a reply specifying the action taken within 100 minutes. Some of the features of the app are that it allows the users to report the violations, uses GPS to track the location where the violation took place, allows the users to capture the incidents of violation live, helps track the status of the complaint, and allows the users to report the violations anonymously.

Photographs not allowed inside polling booth

Taking photographs or videos inside the polling booth is strictly prohibited as per the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India. Selfies clicked in polling booths and posted on social media is also a violation and can attract imprisonment up to three months.

Citizens aged above 85 years and people with over 40% disability can vote from home

The Election Commission of India, for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election, has provided the facility of home voting for the elderly and Persons with Disabilities in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Voters above 85 years of age and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with 40% benchmark disability can avail the optional home voting facility.

What is proxy voting?

Proxy voting facility can be availed by service voters having service qualification. Service voters are those who are members of the armed forces, Government employees in a post outside the country, members of the armed police force of a State. Service voters can appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf. The proxy should be an ordinary resident of the constituency in which the service voter is registered.