Exercising one’s franchise is every Indian citizen’s right as per the Indian Constitution and to do this, one requires a voter’s ID card. Every Indian citizen above the age of 18 years is permitted to apply for a voter ID/ election card. In addition to allowing an individual to take part in the democratic process, it also serves as valid identification proof for everything from applying for a loan to buying a house. Generally people put off applying for one due to the long drawn out application process.

Earlier, it was possible to apply for a voter’s card only prior to an election, either local or national. However, the Election Commission of India has now made it easier to apply for a voter’s card from the comfort of your home through an online application process.

How to do online voter registration?

The online registration process of a new Voter ID is very simple. All you have to do is go to the Election Commission of India (ECI) homepage, the official website for voter registration. The website has everything you would need to know about the election process in India, from electoral rolls to the election schedules for upcoming elections across the country. It also has a list of guidelines for voters and various application forms to register oneself. There are a number of forms, based on the service you wish to avail. These range from name change, inclusion of name in electoral roll for citizens residing in India, as well as separate forms for those who live overseas and members of the armed forces, those in government service, etc. You would have to select the form for new voter registration, which is Form 6.

To find the form you have to select National Voters’ Service Portal on the homepage of ECI website. Under the ‘National Services’ section, click on ‘Apply online for new registration of voter’. This will take you to the online application form.