Election Commission of India allows 17-year-olds to register in advance for voters’ list enrolment

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that youngsters above 17 years of age can now apply in advance to have their names enrolled in the voter’s list.

Now youngsters need not have to wait for the pre-requisite criterion, of attaining the age of 18 years, to get registered in the voters’ enrolment list.

The Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey have directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEO), Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AERO) of all states to work out tech-enabled solutions such that the youths are facilitated to file their advance applications with reference to three subsequent qualifying dates—April 1, July 1, and October 1—besides January 1.

The electoral roll will be updated every quarter. All eligible youngsters will be registered in the next quarter of the year in after attaining the qualifying age of 18 years, according to the ECI.

“After getting registered, the youngsters will be issued an electoral photo identity card (EPIC),” the ECI said.
Additionally, it states that any citizen who turns 18 by the first half of April, July, and October of 2023 may also submit an advance application for registration as a voter for the upcoming round of annual revision of the electoral roll.