Election Commission launches three key reforms, links electoral rolls to birth, death records to boost accuracy

To improve the voting experience, the Commission has also redesigned the Voter Information Slip (VIS) to make it more user-friendly. According to reports, the new format features larger fonts for the voter’s serial and part numbers, helping electors easily identify their polling stations and aiding officials in quicker location of voter entries in the rolls.

A key initiative involves the electronic acquisition of death registration data from the Registrar General of India. This reform, aligned with Rule 9 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and Section 3(5)(b) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023), will enable Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to receive timely updates on registered deaths. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will then verify these details through field visits, without waiting for formal applications under Form 7.

Another initiative involves the issuance of standard photo identity cards to all BLOs. These officers are appointed by the EROs under Section 13B(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The photo identification will help citizens recognise BLOs during voter verification and registration exercises, as the Commission noted the importance of BLOs being clearly identifiable during house-to-house visits.

These measures were adopted following the meeting of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi in March.

The Commission stated that these steps are part of ongoing efforts to streamline electoral processes and improve interaction between voters and election officials.