Election Commission to strengthen voter list updates

New Delhi

The Election Commission (EC) has announced plans to enhance the voter list updating process by working closely with birth and death registration authorities. This move aims to eliminate duplicate entries and ensure electoral roll accuracy across the country.

To streamline voter list-Aadhaar linkage, the EC will initiate technical discussions with UIDAI and experts. The poll body has also pledged to resolve the decades-old issue of duplicate voters within three months. Political parties have been assured that any changes to the draft electoral list will follow the legal appeal process under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The EC noted that after the Special Summary Revision in January, only 89 first appeals and one second appeal were received.

To strengthen the election process, nearly 5,000 officials—including state chief electoral officers and district electoral officers—will regularly engage with political parties to address grassroots concerns by March 31. Additionally, digital training programs have been introduced to enhance the skills of nearly one crore election officials.

The EC is also focused on improving voter participation and experience. Polling stations will be located within a two-kilometer radius of voters' residences, with no station exceeding 1,200 voters. Urban areas with high-rise buildings and colonies will have polling stations within their premises.

Political parties have welcomed the EC’s initiative to train booth-level agents on electoral laws and the voter list revision process. These reforms, the EC stated, aim to make elections more transparent, inclusive, and efficient.