Voters polling in seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls can apply for inclusion of names on electoral rolls before 19 April

As India votes in the 17th Lok Sabha Election, the Election Commission of India (EC) has taken several steps to ensure that more voters get to exercise their franchise. Voters in constituencies which will undergo polling in the seventh phase (19 May) may apply for their inclusion in the voter’s list till 19 April.

According to  nvsp.in,  the application for adding names on electoral rolls should be submitted at least ten days prior to the last date of filing nomination. It also said that deletion and modification of voters’ registration will not be processed after 20 March, 2019.

Voters can also confirm if they are on the electoral rolls and seek details about their registration status by logging into the Election Commission’s voter’s helpline portal — nvsp.in.

Similarly, the EC website also allows voters to make a deletion or objection on the electoral roll, correction of an entry in the electoral roll and transposition within Assembly.

Voters can exercise their franchise using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), an electronic device used for recording votes which has two units: a control unit and a balloting unit. The Lok Sabha election in 2004 was the first parliamentary poll conducted entirely on EVMs.

The Election Commission has also been using Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), which helps voters verify whether their votes have been recorded correctly.

Voters can also use postal ballots, a system of voting through which people can send their votes by post if they cannot be physically present at the voting centre. These votes are considered at the time of counting of votes.

People who work for the defence forces, the government or are on election duty and posted outside their state can use postal ballots. Someone who has been taken into custody as “preventive detention” can also vote through this kind of ballot