India’s Voting System: Key Changes Every Citizen Must Know

1.Cleaner and More Accurate Voter Rolls  

The recent change/modification to India’s voting system is that the Election Commission has created new systems which will identify potential and actual duplicate voter IDs and or the names of deceased voters.

This would be important for representing the correct voter in the electoral list. Clarifying in the electoral database the death-registration records in accordance to the death-rate in the specific region in India would make the relation to voter rolls more dependable or accurate over time. 

2.Polling Booth Crowding Decreased  

One of the noteworthy, recent changes to India’s voting system involves decreasing the number of voters permissible to cast a vote at the polling station, from 1,500 to 1,200 registered voters.

Here is what you need to know: 

• A quicker voting experience 
• A shorter wait time 
• Increased booths in high-density locations 

This is especially helpful in cities where voter turnout is high or where living quarters are close together.

3.Changes to postal ballot counting 

Postal ballots are becoming more popular, especially for seniors, persons with disabilities (PWD), and government officials on official duty. 

A key change is that postal ballots must be counted in advance of the second to last round of counting using electronic voting machines (EVMs), ensuring transparency and equal importance is given to postal votes. 

This eliminates confusion and disputes over when postal ballot results are shared.

4.Redesigned and simplified Voter Information Slip 

The Voter Information Slip (VIS) is easier to read and user-friendly than in the past. 

Here is what voters will now receive: 

• Easier layout 
• Better readability 
• Easier to find polling booth information 
• Larger font for seniors and visual disabilities 
• A minor change, but a very nice change for voters and the overall voting experience. 

5.Digital means a cleaner and transparent election

Technology is becoming a normal part of elections. With the new changes to India’s voting system, ECINET, a common digital platform, is being used to manage multiple applications related to elections. 

Here reading will be less of an issue and ensure election experience is better.

• Increased coordination
• Quicker data updates
• Improved transparency
• Less manual errors

In additional, more polling stations will have webcasting to allow real-time monitoring to provide accountability. 

6.Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls 

The Election Commission has started a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in a number of states to confirm or verify voter documents, especially for individuals added after a certain period of time.  The goal of this is to:

• Remove inconsistencies
• Ensure that every eligible citizen is on the voter list
• Prevent fraud and/or duplicate registrations

While some voters may need to submit more documents, ultimately this process will enhance the integrity of the process.

7.Enhanced Monitoring of Political Parties 

Political parties that are inactive or non-compliant, are being delisted to ensure that only valid participants are a part of the electoral process. This increases transparency and decreases the chances of taking advantage of political registration.