Election Commission Introduces New Voter List Rule

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What has happened?

The Election Commission on Thursday introduced a new rule for voting registration in an effort to ensure greater participation of youth in polls.
As per the latest rule, the poll body has decided that those above 17 years of age can now apply in advance to register as voters once they turn 18.

Till recently, people turning 18 on or before January 1 of a particular year were eligible to enrol themselves in the voters’ list.
And, those turning 18 after January 1 had to wait for one whole year to register as voters.

Following change in election law, people can resister as voters on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 on turning 18.
According to an EC statement on Thursday, the poll panel led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey has directed,
The poll machinery in the states to work out tech-enabled solutions to facilitate those above 17 years of age (but not yet 18) to file their advance applications.
“Henceforth, the electoral roll will be updated every quarter and eligible youngsters can be registered in the next quarter of the year in which he or she has attained the qualifying age of 18 years,” it said.
For the current round of annual revision of electoral roll, 2023, any citizen attaining the age of 18 years by April 1, July 1 and October 1 of 2023 can also submit,
An advance application for registration as a voter from the date of draft publication of electoral roll, it

The EC said it also made the registration forms more user-friendly and simpler.
The newly modified forms will come into force on August 1, 2022.
All applications (claims and objections), in old forms, received before the said date will be processed and disposed of and in such cases, there is no need to file application in new forms.

The ECI also said that for the linking of Aadhaar number with electoral roll data, a provision has been made in the modified registration forms to seek Aadhaar details of electors.
A new Form-6B has also been introduced for collecting Aadhaar number of existing electors.
However, no application for inclusion of name in electoral roll shall be denied and no entries in electoral roll shall be deleted for inability of an individual to furnish or intimate Aadhaar Number.

An electoral roll is a list of eligible citizens entitled to exercise their franchise.
In other words, an electoral roll consists of names of eligible voters who can cast their votes in an election.

India – The world’s largest democracy with 1.33 billion people is a constitutional democracy,
Where the political authority of the nation lies with the Government of India and is governed by fundamental laws stated in the Constitution.
Being a democratic country, India follows a parliamentary system of governance where the people of India choose their leaders with the system of voting predominant since Independence.
The Election Commission of India, established in 1950 has been the major body responsible for the 4 major elections in India which are:

The two major election laws in India are the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
While the Representation of the People Act, 1950 is related to both preparation and revision of electoral rolls,
The Representation of the People Act, 1951 deals with smooth conduct of elections and disputes.
It is important to note that Election Commission holds residuary powers to act in an appropriate manner in the conduct of elections,
In case any law is silent or does not cover a matter adequately.

All citizens of India have the right to vote by registering as voters in constituencies where they reside, provided they are 18 years of age as on the first day of the year for which an electoral roll is prepared.
The right to vote is a statutory right created under section 62 of the Representation of People’s Act (RPA) which means that the right is subject to restrictions prescribed in the RPA.
It is important to note that individuals who have been disqualified by courts for çorrupt practices or any offense related to elections are not eligible to vote.

Q) Chief Election Commissioner of India is appointed for a period of how many years?