Many people, over a few months, have been looking for the process to download voter ID cards before the next general election hits up. Because if you consider yourself a responsible citizen of the largest democratic country India, then you know very well that the voter ID is your most powerful weapon to protect your land and strive for its betterment.
India is one of the very few nations that has given voting rights to all its citizens irrespective of caste, class, creed, gender, religion, or any form of discrimination. Also, India is a country that had granted voting rights to women since its very first general elections after independence, which was a revolutionary step taken at that time when the women in other countries were struggling and fighting against the authorities to get acquire the voting right.
Even the British government in India was not in favor of this decision, but the Indian national leaders and the makers of the Indian Constitution wanted to make India a genuinely democratic country. Thus, the Constitution of India granted the universal adult franchise to all Indian citizens since its commencement.
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What is the Universal Adult Franchise?
Universal Adult Franchise, also known as Universal Adult Suffrage, is a common right, universal right to vote provided by an authority to its citizens. India has approved a universal adult franchise to its citizen by which each and every Indian is entitled to the right to vote after completing 18 years of age.
But before exercising your right to vote, you have to make sure that your name has been included in the Voter’s list. The Election Commission of India is given the responsibility to declare, conduct, and supervise the general elections in India, and each state has a state election commission for this purpose. The election commission also looks after preparing the updated Voter’s list before every election, and one can only cast his vote if his or her name is included in that list.
The Importance of having a Voter ID Card
It is mandatory to have a Voter ID card to cast your vote. And apart from that, it serves many functions and acts as an essential document of ID proof. The Voter ID card issued to you by the Election Commission of India can be used as ID proof, name proof, age proof, or even as an address proof in many official documentation-related activities like applying for a loan, or even for a passport. Thus, it’s a multipurpose document that every Indian citizen must have with him.
How to apply and download the voter ID card: Basic Facts
You can apply for your Voter ID card once you complete18 years of your age. However, it is observed that many people ignore or avoid this responsibility because of the long queues and slow management process.
But you can overcome these difficulties too, as the Election commission of India has now started the online registration process, by which you can apply online and download voter ID card.
The process for the online application to download the voter ID card has been kept very simple, and all the instructions and guidelines are provided on the official website of the Election Commission of India. The website will provide you with all the answers that you need.
Visit the official website: https://eci.gov.in/
The official website of the state election commission: https://ceo.maharashtra.gov.in/
Apart from these websites, there is a separate portal to look after all the queries of the voters and to provide them with the required services. For more information, visit the official website of NVSP, the National Voter’s Service Portal: https://www.nvsp.in/ . Even if you opt for the state or the national website, you will be redirected to the NVSP website for the registration process.
How to apply and download voter ID card
In order to apply online and download a voter ID card, one has to fill up all the required information in the form number 6, provided by the election commission. The process is straightforward. But before talking about the online application process, the eligibility criteria tells that you must be a citizen of India, and you must have completed 18 years of your age.
There are many types of forms, depending on the purpose they are serving. It includes records for name inclusion, name changing, forms for NRI Indians, Armed Forces forms, etc.
Mentioned separately on the website:
- Form 6: For inclusion of name in the resident’s electors
- Form 6A: For inclusion of names for overseas electors
- Figure 7: For any objection on inclusion of names
- Form 8: Correction of entries in the electoral rolls
- Form 8A: Transposition with Assembly
The fresh applicants who are applying because they have completed 18 years, will have to opt for the form number 6. The application process is straightforward:
- Go to the official website of national or state election commission.
- Select the National Voter’s Service Portal, from the various options available on the website.
- Select the option to ‘Apply online for the registration of a new voter’.
- You will ask to register as a new user. Fill all the necessary details for registration.
- After successful registration, fill in all the necessary details in your voter card application.
- Upload all the essential document proofs by scanning them appropriately, in the proper format and the required size.
- Attach your passport size photo with the form.
- Click on ‘Submit’, after you are done with filling all the essential details. Make sure that you have filled them accurately.
After submitting your form, you will receive an email on your registered email ID. This email will provide you with a link to the page of your voter ID application. You can track the status of your application through this link.
These were a few simple steps involved in the process to apply and download a voter ID card. after all this, there is an important step, which is necessary to get your application approved. You will have to go to the nearest centre in your electorate and get your documents verified personally.
Now, let’s have a look at the various sections included in the application form of the voter ID card:
- Section 1: This section is about the personal details of the applicant such as full name, gender, date of birth, city, state and nationality, etc. This is the essential information section, and make sure that you fill in all the details accurately without any spelling errors, because this information appears on your voter card. So, if any error takes place at the time of registration, then it will complicate the other process.
- Section 2: This section asks you to fill in the address details. It includes house number, street name or number, the name of the village or town, city, local pin code, tehsil, district, and state. It will also ask you to mention the nearest local post office, email ID, and your phone number.
Mentioning the post office is very important if you apply offline and want your voter ID card to be delivered by post.
- Section 3: This section of the form asks the details about your relatives who have their names enrolled in the same electoral constituency as yours. You will have to mention their name, voter ID card number, your relationship with that person, and also their serial number and constituency number.
- Section 4: This is a declaration section whereby you declare that you are a citizen of India, stay at the mentioned address, and have not included your name any constituency elsewhere.
The documents required with the application of a new voter ID card are:
- A passport size photograph
Anyone from the following, as an age and identity proof:
- 10th standard certificate
- Driving license
- Birth certificate
- PAN card
- AADHAAR card
- Passport
Anyone from the following, as address proof:
- Electricity bill
- Water bill
- Telephone bill
- Bank passbook
- Passport
- Driving license
- Ration Card
You will have to get these to document proofs verified, after which there will be no obstacle in the process of getting your voter ID card. If senior citizens are applying for any kind of change in their existing voter card, then they can also produce their senior citizens’ card as an identity proof.
After the completion of the application process, your name will appear in the Voter’s list, even before you receive your card. You will receive your voter ID card within 30 working days after applying for it. But you can also download a soft copy of your voter ID card from the official website
How to download voter ID card
The voter ID card issued by the Election Commission of India includes a hologram on it. Therefore, it is not possible to download the voter ID card which is an original one. However, you can download a soft copy of your voter ID card from the official website. For this, you have to visit https://electoralsearch.in/. You can download voter ID card soft copy using your application number.
Benefits of the online process to apply and download voter ID card
There are a number of benefits of applying online to download voter ID card, the major one being the comfortable process. You will not have to stand in long queues for hours to use and can do it from your home. Also, the process is straightforward and the various official websites mentioned in this article will provide you with step-by-step instructions and guidelines for a successful application.
Apart from that, the process of online application is very smooth and time-saving, and you can also track the status of your online application, using the official website. Thus, online application has many benefits and can quickly help you to perform your responsibility as a citizen of India.
After discussing all this, one may worry that how can he or she cast vote if the voter ID card has not reached to them till the voting day? The Election Commission has provided an answer to this question as well. Once your name has appeared in the Voter’s list, you can cast your vote even if you fail to get your voter card.
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For this, you will have to carry some other ID proof, approved by the election commission, while going to the polling booth. The other approved documents apart from the voter card are – PAN card, AADHAAR card, passport, driving license, MNREGA job card, and other such official records.
To conclude, it can be said that the Election Commission of India is working always to ensure. That every citizen of India will be able to exercise his right to vote. And the online process to apply and download voter ID card is a step forward towards it.
If more and more people enrol for voter card and take part in the electoral process, then only the Voter’s turnout will increase, and the democracy will be strengthened. If you want to support or even criticize your representative, make sure in the first place that you become the part of the electoral process and to vote.
Democracy cannot be implemented successfully without people’s participation, and if the authorities are working so well, then the citizens should also co-operate with them. And you can start with yourself, before advising others.