India has held the notion of democracy as its priority for decades now. And every democracy necessitates the right to vote. The vote is a person’s voice; a contribution to the larger picture and to the future of a united concept known to be a nation. 

A voter ID serves the primary purpose of lending people that voice. It is to improve the accuracy of the overall electoral roll and to prevent any kind of discrepancy or fraud in the nationwide electoral process. 

Another interesting and important purpose voter ID card serves to be is a valid identification proof. This card is also called an election card, voter’s card, or simply and most commonly voter ID. 

Registration process

Voter ID can be applied for in two ways – online and offline. 

Online

First, we’ll take you through the online process. 

  1. You will have to fill the form 6, which will need to be filled. You will find the form on the website here. Voters who have moved from one constituency to another and even first-time voters will need to fill this form out
  2. Even in the case of an NRI voter, a form number 6A needs to be filled. 
  3. In some case where the deletion or objection in electoral roll happens, there will be a different form (form 7) that would need filling
  4. In case there is a gender change, type of relation change, change in the name of a relative, age, date of birth, address, EPIC number, age, photo, and name, form number 8 needs to be filled. 
  5. Form 8A will need to be filled in case you are shifting from one residence to another under the same constituency. 

Offline

Now, taking you through the offline process. 

  1. In order to apply for voter ID card offline, you will need to fill two copies of form 16. This form will be available at offices of Booth Level officers and Electoral Registration Officers/Assistant Electoral Registration Officers. This form is available free of cost. 
  2. When you visit office for the form, the filled forms and documents must be provided. You can send the filled form via post to the Booth Level Officer. 
  3. In case you come across a roadblock, or cannot understand the way forward, you can reach out to the number 1905. 

What documents do you need for Voter ID card?

When you are applying for the voter ID card, you would have to submit these documents. 

  • Identity proof
  • Address proof
  • Photograph

What is the eligibility criteria to avail the voter ID card?

In order to get yourself the voter ID card, you must fall in accordance to the below given criteria. 

  • You must be a citizen of India
  • You must not be below 18 years of age
  • You should have a permanent address to show
  • You must not be disqualified as an elector. 

Once you have applied for the Voter ID card, here is how you can go about tracking it. 

Tracking voter ID card is a step-by-step process. Here is how you can track your Voter ID application. 

  1. Visit https://www.nvsp.in/
  2. Click on ‘Track Application Status’
  3. Enter the reference ID that has been provided to you and click on ‘Track status’
  4. The details regarding the status of your card will be displayed on the next page. 

Why is there a need to even get a voter ID card?

Voter ID can be used for several purposes. Some of them are mentioned herewith. 

  1. The card serves as an accepted form of Personal identity and is applicable as the same across various governmental processes. 
  2. The Voter ID card acts as an acknowledgement that the card holder is a registered voter during the national and even regional elections. 
  3. The card includes several identification features like the applicant’s signature, photograph, fingerprints, etc. These details will will add assurance for the card holder. 
  4. During an election, the card carries certain definitive provisions that only allow a voter to vote once. This keeps any kind of discrepancy at bay.  
  5. The voter ID card has been designed in such a manner that it can suit the electoral requirement of a population with low literacy as well. 
  6. The voter ID card is especially useful to those citizens who do not have a fixed address. 

NRI electors: Voter ID for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)

If you are an NRI who is reading this and intends to get a voter ID from himself/herself, here is how you can go about getting a voter ID. 

Obtaining the form

  1. You need NVSP form 6A for an NRI voter ID application. The form can be found online on the official website of the Election commission. Click on the National Voter’s Service Portal. Click on Apply Online for registration of new voter.
  2. Form 6A will open up for you to fill in
  3. You can choose your preferred language from Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Konkani, Kannada, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Oriya, Hindi, English, Punjabi, Tamil, Telegu, and Urdu. 
  4. As an alternative, you can even download a form from the website of the Chief electoral officer of your respective state. This form would also be available on the Election Commission Website
  5. The form is also available at the Indian Missions in foreign countries for free
  6. You can also request a family member to obtain form 6A from their nearest polling station and send it to you. 

Summing it up

Getting a voter ID card proves to be helpful in the long run. A voter ID card essentially offers you incredible access through various procedures as it is deemed to be one of the best identity proofs one can possibly have. 

The usual notion is that if one is deemed capable enough to choose the government of a nation, she/he should have access to other governmental procedures as well. 

As the years have gone by, the procedure to apply for a voter ID card has streamlined a lot. Getting a voter ID card is no longer a hassle. All it takes is a few clicks and your Voter ID card is right there with you.