We live in a democracy and hence, should exercise our rights to vote with pride. In order to vote, one needs to have a valid Voter ID card. This card is issued by the Election Commission of India and can be used in municipal, state or Lok Sabha level polls. It is good to apply for and get a Voter ID card, as, apart from helping to exercise your franchise; it is also a valid Government ID proof for many other things. Also, nowadays, applying for the Voter ID card is an easy process, as it has been made online, just like many other services.
How to check your name?
The steps to check your name or register your name in the electoral roll are very simple. You should visit the National Voters’ Services Portal site, https://www.nvsp.in/. Alternately, you could visit this site through the Election Commission of India site, https://eci.nic.in/eci/eci.html by clicking on the National Voters’ Services Portal link on the top corner.
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On the homepage, you will find the text box with “Search Your Name in Electoral Roll” Under the Search as a link. Click on this link and you will be shown a page with two tabs. Tab 1 allows you to search for your details with your name, age, gender, state, district and assembly constituency. In case you do not know the constituency, there is an option to locate it on the map. You could use that option to auto-locate the assembly constituency. Once all these details are entered, enter the Captcha text given in the bottom text box and click on Search and you will find the details shown to you.
In the tab 2, you can search using the Electoral Photo ID Card (EPIC) number. You can enter this number, state and the Captcha text and proceed to search for your details.
How to register for Voter ID card?
On the home page of https://www.nvsp.in/, next to the Search box mentioned on top, there is a link “Apply online for registration of new voter/due to shifting from AC”. On clicking this, you will be shown a Form 6 – Application for Inclusion of Name in Electoral Roll for First time Voter OR on Shifting from One Constituency to Another Constituency.
Choose the state, district, assembly constituency, and choose “I request that my name is included in the electoral roll for the above Constituency, As a first-time voter. You can then proceed to fill in the mandatory details like name, surname, the name of relative of applicant, surname of relative of applicant, type of relation, age or Date of Birth (DOB), gender, current address, permanent address, family or neighbour EPIC number and a few other optional details.
You should also upload supporting documents like Photograph, age proof and address proof. For DOB, birth certificate, mark sheet of class 5, 8 or 10, Indian Passport, PAN Card, Driving License or UIDAI (Aadhaar card) can be uploaded. For address proof, Indian Passport, Driving License, Bank Passbook, Ration Card, IT assessment order, Rent agreement, water bill, telephone bill etc. can be uploaded. Choose the appropriate option based on what document you are uploading. There is a declaration at the end to indicate that all details provided by you are true and then you can click on submit. You will receive an email to the email id provided by you and usually, the Voter ID card is received in a month’s time. You can track it on the same site using the Track Application status link on the home page. The same form can also be used for changing your registration from one assembly constituency to another by clicking on the appropriate option.
So, as you can see, the process is rather simple and not time-consuming. So, if you have not yet got your Voter ID card, use this chance to get it done and go get your finger inked with pride in the next election.