Voter Id Verification

Voter Id has become one of the most important documents that a citizen of the country holds. It not only allows a person to vote in any election and let their voice be heard, but also works as an important document for KYC purposes as well as applying for new loans or investments or various Government schemes and subsidies. A person can apply for a Voter ID either through offline mode or through online or semi-online mode. In the online mode, the application form as well as documents can be submitted online, whereas in semi-offline and offline mode, the form can be downloaded or procured at the office respectively and submitted along with the relevant documents in the Electoral Registration Office of the applicant’s ward.

The procedure to apply for a Voter ID can be summarized in the following manner

• Visit the Government website - eci.nic.in. This is the website where the applicant will get to know everything about the online process to apply for a Voter ID. This website will also provide details of the documents that are needed to be submitted along with the application.  
• Fill the relevant form from the available options. 
• Submit the correctly-filled Form along with the necessary documents. 
• The documents to be attached have to be scanned and a passport size photo is part of the documentation to be provided.
• The applicant will also need to submit the hard copies of the essential documents to the nearest electoral office. These documents have to be handed over to the EO in person by visiting the office and not sending them by post.

Post submission of the documents and the application, the officer on duty will verify them as well as the address of the applicant by means of contacting people in his/her neighborhood.

The Election Commission of India provides the application number at the time of applying for the voter card. It is an 11digit number but is different from the EPIC number which is provided at the time of enrollment of the voter ID card. The application number provided to the applicant whether in online or offline application has to be duly noted which will enable him/her to track the application status anytime and from anywhere.

Process of Voter Id Verification

The verification process is done post application for Voter ID. The verification is carried out by the Booth Level Officer.

The Officer will verify the documents and they will visit at the address provided by the applicant to conduct the verification as per the EC guidelines.

In case the Officer finds any discrepancies in the details provided during the verification process, the application stands cancelled and the applicant will not be eligible to get the Voter ID. A fresh application will be needed.

If all the details on the application are found correct during the verification process, the Officer will complete the said process and the applicant will be eligible for getting a valid Voter ID.

Once the verification process is completed, the applicant will be sent the Voter ID through post within 15 to 21 days.

Verification without Documents

Voter Id as discussed earlier is a very important document. The applicant needs to apply for a valid Voter ID card through the proper channels of online and offline modes offered by the State Election Commission. There have been many cases of invalid Voter IDs being distributed to people who are not eligible to hold one. Hence, the State Election Commission has to adhere to strict guidelines of the Election Commission with respect to application, verification as well as issuance of the Voter IDs. Verification being a crucial part of the entire process has to be carried out diligently and cannot be conducted without prior submission of documents along with the application.

Therefore, the applicant have to compulsorily provide the documents at the time of application to successfully complete the application process and to proceed to verification stage which will subsequently lead to issuance of Voter ID upon satisfaction of the correctness of the particulars provided in the application and the authenticity of the documents.

State wise Voter Id Verification

The process of application, verification and issuance of Voter ID is constant throughout the country. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the State Election Commission to ensure the correctness in the process of issuing the valid Voter IDs as well as make sure that there is no possibility of any deviation or misuse of the authority within its officers. It also has to ensure that there are no fake Voter IDs issued based on fake documentation or faulty verification. The State Election Commission has to work in accordance and co-ordination with the Election Commission of India to ensure the smooth conduct of elections throughout the respective states.

FAQs – Voter Id Verification