eci.nic.in How do Election Officers Conduct Voter ID Card Verification : Election Commission of India

Organization : Election Commission of India
Facility : How do Election Officers Conduct Voter ID Card Verification
Location : India

How do Election Officers Conduct Voter ID Card Verification : https://www.electionin.in/uploads/411-Handbook_BLO.pdf
Website : http://eci.nic.in/eci/eci.html

Related : ECI Verification of Elector’s Identity & Procedure In Case of Challenge :
www.electionin.in/410.html

Election Officers Conduct Voter ID Card Verification :

Duties and responsibilities of BLO:
The BLO will make a thorough study of the roll of the part assigned to him.

Checking details of spellings, entries of duplicate names, part header page, photos etc. of electors in the roll

He will make frequent field visits to the villages/Tolas in the said part and interact with local people particularly village elders and grass root level elected representatives and identify the names of the dead/shifted/duplicate voters in the roll, which need to be removed by the ERO under relevant provisions of law.

The main functions of BLO are as follows:
** Receiving claims and objections.
** House to house visit and checking of overlapping, migration, transfer/shifting
** Identification of shifted/dead/non-existing electors
** Checking inclusion and exclusion errors
** Collecting photos of electors
** Collecting mobile numbers of electors (optional)
** Submitting reports to ERO so that notice can be issued to the persons whose names have to be deleted
** Display of draft roll/prescribed notices at designated locations
** Reading of rolls in gram/ ward sabhas – Liasoning with RWAs in urban areas for registration.
** EPIC distribution (after preparation) to the right person and not to any other intermediary
** Maximization of EPIC coverage and enrolment
** SVEEP eg. Street plays, Dramas, Wall writings, etc.
** NVD activities – Administering NVD pledge and exhorting voters at NVD time.
** Correct Serialization of the houses and correct arrangement of sections falling within the part.
** Coordination with Booth Level Agents (BLAs)
** Detailing of Forms received
** Impart simple voter education at registration time
** Distribution of voters slip before election
** Preparation of Nazri Naksha with an ordinary geographical demarcation to avoid overlapping specially in respect of newly developed colonies

Claims and Objections during revision process :
1. As already mentioned, the ERO shall have to notify the roll revision programme in Form 5 under Registration of Electors Rule, 1960. In this notice, all the stages of revision process shall be mentioned including the period for receiving applications for inclusion, exclusion, corrections and transpositions of names in the rolls. Statutorily, under Rule 12 of Registration of Electors Rule, 1960, a minimum of 15 days and maximum of 30 days has to be provided for the purpose. The Commission has power under the proviso to Rule 12 of Registration of Electors Rule, 1960 to extend the period in respect of the constituency as a whole or in respect of any part thereof by a notification in the Official Gazette.

2. After the draft publication of the roll is made, preferring claims and objections are the methods by which names can be included or deleted in the roll and elector particulars can be corrected. These claims / objections and corrections can be filed anytime except that,
(i) After last date for receiving nominations till the elections are over, no change in the electoral roll can be effected;
(ii) When the stages of a revision programme are fixed by the Election Commission in advance, a period is specified for receiving these claims and objections. During this process, claims and objections can be preferred only during this specified time period.

3. During the revision process, the claims in Form 6, objections in Form 7, applications for corrections in Form 8 and transposition of entry in Form 8A are inquired into by the ERO under Rule 20 of Registration of Electors Rule, 1960. Under Rule 21 of Registration of Electors Rule, 1960, ERO can, suo-motu, include names inadvertently omitted in the published draft (from manuscript or accepted cases etc) and under Rule 21A ERO can suo-motu delete the names inadvertently or erroneously entered in the draft roll.

Distribution of EPIC :

The BLO should check the prepared EPIC thoroughly before distribution. He should check the card number, name, age and address of the elector. The photograph of the EPIC holder must be matched to see that the elector is clearly identifiable from his photograph. If not the elector must be photographed again. The BLO should ensure that EPIC is delivered to the same elector and proper acknowledgement of receipt is obtained from him. Under no circumstances should any intermediary be handed over EPICs for further distribution.

NOTE: In case of homeless persons, the BLO will visit the address given in Form 6 at night to ascertain that the homeless person actually sleeps at the place which is given as his address in Form 6. If the BLO is able to verify that the homeless person actually sleeps at that place, no documentary proof of place of residence shall be necessary.BLO must visit for more than one night for such verification.

From the web-site, it can be verified every claim (Form 6) that is received, as to whether it is already a registered voter elsewhere in the same constituency or the district. The website shall further facilitate an elector to check whether he/she has been registered as an elector or not and what are the details registered against his/her entry in the roll.

Verification of self-attested documents which accompany applications in Form 6A received by post shall be done by BLOs. For this purpose, BLOs will visit the home address mentioned in the passport. They will ask relatives of the applicant, if any, to verify the self-attested copies of documents and give a declaration to this effect. In those cases, where no relatives are available or relatives are not willing to give the declaration for verification of documents or the ERO is not satisfied with verification of documents by relatives, documents will be sent for verification to the concerned Indian Mission in the foreign country where the applicant resides.

How EPIC is prepared and issued :
1. For the purpose of preparation of EPIC, the ERO (or the DEO or the CEO) would have identified vendors and provided them space to prepare EPICs. One of the most important things required for preparation and issue of EPIC is the photograph of the elector. For getting the electors photographed, there are Designated Photography Locations (DPLs) or VRECs in each AC/District.

2. The reverse side of EPIC has the address of the elector as provided by him after due verification. This is followed by a facsimile signature and designation of the ERO issuing the ERO. The facsimile stamp of the ERO is a critical instrument that is kept in custody of the ERO.

3. The EPIC so prepared is laminated and handed over to the elector. It has to be ensured that the EPIC is handed over to the same elector whose EPIC it is and proper acknowledgment of the receipt of EPIC should be taken. Under no circumstances should any intermediary be handed over the EPIC for further distribution of the EPIC.