If you have any grievance in regard to electoral roll, Voter ID or any other election related matter you may approach the following officers:
(i) Chief Electoral Officer – At the State Level
(ii) District Election Officer – At the District Level
(iii) Returning Officer – At the Constituency Level
(iv) Assistant Returning Officer – At Taluka/Tahsil Level
(v) Electoral Registration Officer – At the Constituency Level
(vi) Presiding Officer – At Polling Station
(vii) Zonal Officer – For a group of Polling stations
During every election, the ECI also appoints ‘Observers’ who are senior civil service officers from outside the state. You can also approach them if you have any grievances or problems. You may find details for some of these officers in your area here.
Common issues faced
- My name has been spelled wrongly in the roll! How can I correct mistakes like this?
For correction of mistakes in electoral rolls, you can submit an application (form is given here – Form 8 )to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer. You may apply for rectification online here.
- My name is on the rolls, now how do I find out which polling booth I have to go to?
You can find out this information from the Electoral Registration Officer of your area. Electoral rolls in all major cities have now been displayed on official websites also. You may find this information here.
Once your name is on the rolls, you also need an identity document to be able to cast your vote – this ID is typically issued by the Election Commission of India (“ECI”) and is known as the Electors’ Photo Identity Card (EPIC, more commonly as the Voter ID card.)
- I was registered to vote in my home state, but now I have moved for my job. Can I enroll in more than one place? If not, how can I transfer my vote?
You cannot be enrolled as a voter at more than one place. While applying for fresh enrolment, you have to make a statement or declaration stating that your name is not already included in the electoral roll of any other constituency. (If you make a false statement or declaration, you can be punished with jail time of upto one year, or fine, or both)
If you have shifted your home, and y our new home is in the same constituency, you need to fill Form 8A and submit the same to the Electoral Registration Officer / Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (you can also apply online here). If your new home is in a different constituency, you need to fill up Form 6 again(same as in the case of a fresh application).
- I went to the polling booth, but someone has already voted in my name! What can I do?
If the Polling Officer tells you after you have reached the polling station that your vote has already been cast, you should immediately bring this to the attention of the Presiding Officer. In such a case, the Presiding Officer may ask you questions to confirm your identity. Once he/she is convinced that your identity is genuine, he or she will give you a tendered ballot paper and you will be allowed to cast a ‘Tendered Vote’ (according to Rule 42 of The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961). A tendered ballot paper is the same as the ballot paper displayed on the balloting unit, except that it will be endorsed (either stamped or written) with the words ‘Tendered Ballot Paper’ on the back.
After marking your choice of candidate, you should hand over the tendered ballot paper to the Presiding Officer, who will keep it in a separate cover. In such a case, you will not cast your vote on the Electronic Voting Machine. Courts have said that tendered votes should be taken into account only when they are likely to affect the outcome of the election, i.e. when the margin of victory is less than the number of tendered votes.
“For more information check out this explainer on voting and elections. This was written by Nyaaya. Nyaaya is a legal- tech initiative explaining India’s Laws. Ideated by Rohini Nilekani and created by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.”