The Lok Sabha elections are nearing and as a citizen of India, if you have to be able to cast your vote, the most important thing is for your name to appear in the electoral roll.

An electoral roll is a list of names prepared by the Election Commission of India. This includes the names of all the people, aged 18 years and above, who have voter ID cards. Basically, all the people who will be able to vote for the upcoming elections.

If your already have a voter ID card, then ideally, your name should appear on the electoral roll. However, sometimes this is not the case – many people have realised only when they reach the polling booth that their name is not on the electoral roll, despite the fact that they have a voter ID. Hence, it is crucial to check if your name appears on the voter list ahead of the polls.

How to check if your name is on the voter list?

The Election Commission of India will publish the electoral roll on its website on January 31. So starting February 1, Indian citizens can check whether their names are on the list.

• You need to log on to the National Voters’ Service Portal.
• On the left hand side, you will see a search bar, where you can search for your name and see if it appears on the electoral roll. Once you click on this bar, it will take you to the electoral search page, where you will have to fill in the mandatory details like name, date of birth, state, district, constituency, gender and so on.
• After this search, you will either be able to see your name on the roll or there may be cases where the name does not appear.

How to get your name onto the electoral roll?

• Depending on the case, the EC has various forms on the National Voters’ Service Portal.
• On the main page, one can see the links to various forms.
• New voters must fill form 6 in order to register themselves as voters. You will need a passport sized photo and proof of age and residence.
• There may be cases, where people who are alive appear as deceased on the electoral roll. Some people’s age may be wrong or spelling may be incorrect. To update or correct the details on the electoral roll, one must fill Form 8.
• If you have relocated to a different location within the constituency, use Form 8A.
• If you wish to delete your name from the voters’ list from any constituency and relocate to a new constituency, form 6 must be filled along with form 7. Form 6 is to register to vote in a new constituency and by filling form 7, your name will be deleted from the voters’ list in the old constituency.