Is it difficult to get voter card made? Under the new rules, those applying will have to provide this proof

If you have turned 18 and are thinking of getting your Voter ID card made for the first time, then this news is very useful for you. The Election Commission (EC) has now made a major change in the process of adding names to the voter list. Now, while applying online, it has been made mandatory to provide information about the electoral records of your parents. Without it, your application will not be able to proceed.

What is the new rule and SIR declaration?

The Election Commission has now added a new condition in the online ‘Form 6’, which is being called ‘SIR Declaration’. Now when you apply for Voter ID, you will have to fill a declaration form. In this you will have to tell whether your name was in the previous ‘SIR Voter List’? If not, were your parents’ or grandparents’ names recorded in the old voter list? Even if no one’s name is in the list, you will have to choose this option. Unless you complete this declaration, your form will not be submitted.

What things should be kept in mind while applying?

If you tell that your name or that of any of your family members is already in the list, then you will also have to provide some additional information related to them. This includes the Assembly Constituency, polling booth number and serial number given in the voter list. At the same time, if you do not have this information available, then you can choose the third option, although the Commission has not yet made it clear what effect choosing this option will have on the application process.

Difference between offline and online process

Till now no formal gazette notification has been issued regarding ‘Registration of Electors Rules, 1960’, but the Election Commission has made this change mandatory on the online portal through administrative instructions. It was first introduced in Bihar during the ‘Special Intensive Revision’ (SIR) campaign and has now been implemented in all the states where SIR work has been completed.

Why has this change been brought?

The Election Commission believes that SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is a process by which the voter list is made absolutely accurate. Through this campaign, names of dead voters, shifted people and foreign citizens are removed from the list. Now, through the new rules, the aim of the Commission is to track the family electoral history of new voters. This will strengthen the identification process and in many cases reduce the need for documents.