Lok Sabha polls Phase 1: 81% of applicants use postal ballots to cast vote

The Election Commission of India has extended its "vote-from-home" facility using postal ballots to persons with disabilities (PwD) and senior citizens aged 85 and above

Around 81 per cent of those who applied for voting from home using postal ballots have cast their votes in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, chief electoral officer Sanjay Kaul said.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI), to make the voting process inclusive and accessible, extended its "vote-from-home" facility to persons with disabilities (PwD) and senior citizens aged 85 and above. PwD voters with 40 per cent benchmark disability. The ECI said that the "home voting" facility is open till April 25.

For the "vote from home" facility, the ECI increased the upper age limit for elderly voters from 80 to 85 this year.

Who is eligible for the "vote from home" facility?

The postal ballot facility has been amended by the ECI to include senior citizens (85 and above) and PwD candidates with the benchmark disability not less than 40 per cent of the specified disability.

On March 16, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, "Generally, the tendency has been that the senior citizens want to participate in the process and walk to the booth. But this time, we have given them options to vote in their homes."

However, those citizens, who opt for home voting facilities, will not be eligible to vote directly at the polling station.

The "vote from home" facility can be used by:

1) People aged 85 and above

2) Persons with Disabilities (PwD): The benchmark disability should be not less than 40 per cent of the specified disability

3) Mediapersons covering polling day activities": They should carry a authorisation letter from the Election Commission

4) Workers from essential services such as metros, railways and healthcare

5) Service voters: Personnel of the armed forces posted away from their hometowns, Central Armed Police Forces personnel deployed away from home and those on poll duty.

How to avail the vote-from-home facility?

To apply for a postal ballot, eligible voters must apply for Form 12 D to the returning officer (RO) of their respective constituency. The application requires personal details, voter identification information, and the reason for seeking a postal ballot. The RO verifies eligibility and issues the postal ballot if the criteria are met. The form can be downloaded from the official website of the Election Commission at www.eci.gov.in.

Following this, a team comprising polling officials, a videographer, and a security personnel will visit the residence of eligible individuals to supervise the "vote from home" or the postal ballot voting process. The voter will get a prior intimation about the date and time of the visit through an SMS or post.

However, the voter has to fill and submit the form within five days of notification of the polling date

Counting of postal ballots

Postal ballots are counted independently from votes cast at polling stations. On the designated day for counting, postal ballots are gathered by postal authorities and transported to the counting center. The Returning Officer (RO) and election officials examine postal ballots for validity and integrity, including valid ballots in the tally of votes for the respective candidates.