File photo of voters in an urban area of Maharashtra
ECI Introduces Electoral Reforms for Accuracy and Accessibility
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) today announced rolling out three initiatives to streamline electoral rolls and enhance voter experience. These reforms aim to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls, making the voting process more convenient for citizens, it claimed.
The Election Commission of India will now electronically access death registration data from the Registrar General of India, as permitted under Rule 9 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and Section 3(5)(b) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (amended in 2023). This system ensures Electoral Registration Officers receive timely death records, enabling Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to verify information through field visits without requiring formal Form 7 submissions, thus maintaining up-to-date electoral rolls.
To enhance voter trust and identification, the ECI has mandated standard photo identity cards for all Booth Level Officers, appointed under Section 13B(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. As the primary interface between voters and the ECI during house-to-house visits for verification and registration, BLOs will now be easily recognisable, fostering confidence among citizens during electoral processes.
Voter Information Slips (VIS) are also being revamped to be more user-friendly. The redesigned slips will feature the voter’s serial and part numbers in a larger, more prominent font. This change aims to help voters locate their polling stations and assist polling officials in efficiently finding names on the electoral roll, reducing confusion on voting day.
These measures are in line with the initiatives as envisaged by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Gyanesh Kumar, during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), in the presence of Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi in March this year. These changes aim to improve accuracy and voter interaction, the Election Commission of India asserted.
– global bihari bureau
