How to Vote in India

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 14, 2022

India is the largest democracy in the world. Its federal government is elected by citizens through national elections. Indian federal elections are held every 5 years and are open to most citizens age 18 or older. Here's how to vote in India.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Meeting Requirements to Vote in India

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Qualify for resident voter's registration. In order to vote in India, if you're a resident of the country, you need to follow certain requirements. India is a constitutional democracy with a parliamentary system of government committed to regular, free and fair elections.
- For starters, you must be over the age of 18 on the qualifying date. This is defined as the first of January on the year in question, and it's the major requirement to vote in India.^{[1]
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- It doesn't matter what your caste, creed, religion or gender are. You can't be disqualified from voting in India for those reasons. Voting is generally optional in India, but there are moves to make voting compulsory. ^{[2]
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2
Prove you are a citizen. You can vote in India if you are a citizen of India who has not obtained any other country's citizenship. Your place of residence in India must be mentioned in your passport.
- If you're gone from your ordinary residence in India because of employment, education or otherwise, you can still register to vote in India if your place of residence in India is mentioned in your passport.
- If you are not a citizen of India, you cannot vote in India. If you are overseas, though, you can vote if you are a citizen of India.
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3
Make sure you're not disqualified. The key reason a resident of India is not allowed to vote is if he or she has been declared of unsound mind or is disqualified due to corrupt practices.
- In order to be banned from voting for unsound mind, a person needs to have been declared such by a competent court.
- People are also disqualified if they've been convicted of elections-related offenses. Such people can't register to vote in India. You can review the detailed list of offenses online.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Registering to Vote in India

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Submit a Form-6. This is the form you must file if you want to vote in India. It must be submitted to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the Assembly Constituency.
- Submit an online voter's registration Form-6. You can do this at www.eci.eci.nic.in. Election forms are available for download in both English and Hindi.
- Click on online voter registration. You will need to obtain a user's name and password. After that, it's a pretty simple process.
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Upload a passport size color photo with the application. Provide proof of residence and age. If you can't manage to upload the documents, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) can come to your house to collect the documents.
- Submit the Form-6 by post if you don't want to submit it online. First, obtain the form by downloading it from the Internet. Download the form at www.eci.nic.in. Fill out the documents. Then send them via post to the voter's centre of your constituency.
- You can also submit the voter's registration form directly to the Voters Registration Centre of your constituency or to the Booth Level Officer.
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Submit an overseas form. If you're overseas but are a citizen of India, you can still vote. In order to do this, you need you submit a Form 6A. There are different forms for members of the armed forces, members of the police, and so forth. You can find them online through the Election Commission of India website.
- Submit this form to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the constituency within which you normally live in India. This must match the location in India cited on your passport. Such voters are called NRIS. This stands for Non-Resident Indians.^{[3]
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- Obtain the form at www.eci.nic.in. Click on “Enrol as NRI voter.” Yes, that's enroll with one L. You must enclose a passport sized photo and a photocopy of relevant pages of the passport. You should also provide a photocopy of pages of the passport containing a valid visa.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Casting Your Vote

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Find polling stations. You can find polling stations by going to www.eci.nic.in and clicking on Polling Station Maps.[[[Image:Be-Safe-in-the-Chat-Rooms-Step-12-Version-2.jpg|center]]
- Select the state and district, the assembly constituency, and the polling station. Click on click here button to view the specific polling station pin.
- Click on the balloon/pin on the map to view names and contact numbers of CEOS, DEOS, EROS, and BLOS. You will also receive a link to view the electoral roll in PDF format
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Go to the polling place to vote. Consider voting in the afternoon. This way you can beat the crowd, as people usually avoid heat and come in the mornings.
- Sign in. Once you reach the voting center, go to any of the desks set up by various political parties and ask them if your name is there. This is to double check that you are a registered voter.
- Go inside and stand in the queue. When your turn comes, state your name and your father's name. That's all they will ask. They will mark you with indelible ink on your nail. It cannot be removed with most kinds of nail-polish removers and thinners. It is a security measure to ensure that each individual votes only once.
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Look for the machine. Once inside the room, you will find a machine in the corner with an enclosure around it.
- Press the symbol of the candidate. If it is a manual system, which is now becoming rare, then you need to stamp the right symbol on a ballot paper and put it in a box.
- Stay there for a few seconds to make sure everything is fine and the machine is not beeping. This can happen due to an error.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Obtaining Other Voter Information in India

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Correct voter registration mistakes. You can correct mistakes in age, the spelling of your name and address in voter registration rolls.
- You need to file a Form-8 (49-KN). Log on to www.eci.nic.in, and click on Apply for Corrections. Follow the procedure given by the Election Commission. You need to enclose proof of age, such as a School Board Examination Result Certificate or proof of residence.
- It's free to make the correction if the error is not your fault. If you're responsible for the mistake, then you will need to pay Rs.25/- in cash at your voter's registration centre for receiving the corrected Voter Identity Card (EPIC).
- If you've changed your address within the constituency, file a Form 8A online or download Form-8A (34 KB).^{[4]
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Check your name on the voter's list. You can check your name on the voter's list, at www.eci.nic.in and click on "search your name in voters list."
- You can select the name of your state, and follow the procedure to search electors. You can also check your name in electoral rolls by sending a SMS. Type EPICVoter ID No to 9211728082.
- The ERO will notify overseas voters by mail as to the inclusion of their names on the voters list.

Community Q&A

Question

Who can't vote in India?

Community Answer

People who are below 18 and are not registered with their voter ID cannot vote.
Question

Can I vote online?

Community Answer

No.
Question

Will I have to take off work to vote in India?

Community Answer

No, election day is a holiday in India.