Who are Service Voters?
The e-postal ballot system is designed for Service Voters of India. The definition falls under subsection (8) of Section 20 of the Representation of People Act, 1950. A person, having the service qualification, can be registered as a Service Voters at his/her native place, even though the person is residing in any other place in concern to service or duties. The person has another option too, to enroll as general voter for the place where he/she resides for service. Service-qualified voters are classified into below sections –
1. Personnel of the Union Armed Forces.
The individuals covered by the Army Act, of 1950 (46 of 1950) include: –
2. Personnel of a force to which the provisions of the Army Act have been applied, with or without modifications
3. Members of an Armed Police Force of a State, serving outside that State.
4. Employees under the government of India are serving in positions outside of India.
Does any Person Register As a General Voter And Service Voter, At The Same Time?
So the answer is ‘No’. As per the Indian Government’s rule, under Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of People Act, 1950, no person can register himself or herself more than one place or time as a service voter. So, it is similar for the service-qualified voters too. “ To register as a service voters , it is essential to provide a declaration in the designated format, affirming that the individual is not registered as a regular voter in any electoral constituency.”
The Procedure How To Get Enrolled As a Service Voter or Procedure
EC (Election Commission) revises rolls for service voters twice a year. After the announcements for the procedure, the service voters are needed to fill the individual forms as per their service, ‘Form 2’ for Armed Force Members, ‘Form 2A’ for Armed Police Force of a State who is serving outside that State, and ‘Form 3’ for the persons who are employed under Government of India on a post outside India. The forms and declaration letters are sent to the officer in charge or nodal authority. They will check every detail and ensure the authenticity.
The officer in charge will sign and forward it to the CEO (Chief Electoral Officer of the concerned State). The form is sent to the respective District Election Officer who will then send it to the Electoral Registration Officer of the constituency. Here, the rest processing of the form is executed by the ERO (Electoral Registration Officer).
E-Postal Ballot Paper
You will get an e-postal ballot then, for the immediate election. Fill it out and send it to the Returning officer of the District Magistrate. Now the election commission will arrange to forward you the ballot paper electronically. You can now get these forms through your respective officers with their assigned OTP (one-time password). One more thing to know here is that these forms are in encrypted format. It means, the information you are filling in and your votes, everything is safe and can’t be copied and stolen.
What distinguishes a service voter from a regular elector?
A regular elector is listed on the electoral roll of the constituency where they usually live. In contrast, a person with service qualifications can register as a ‘ service voters ‘ at their hometown, even if they are currently living elsewhere due to their job. However, they also have the choice to register as a general elector at their posting location if they are living there with their family for a significant period.
Service Voter’s Portal – The Thought Behind The Procedure
The footer of the service voters portal shows the tagline for which the whole procedure is running. You can visit the portal by this link http:// www.eci.gov.in/service-voters and scroll down to the bottom. “No Voter to be left behind”, is indeed a thought that is processed through the portal and by our Government too.
