Name must be on electoral rolls to vote

PANAJI

: Having your name on the

electoral

roll is a prerequisite for voting, additional chief electoral officer Narayan Sawant said on Friday.


Those whose names are not included on the electoral rolls cannot vote for the

Lok Sabha

elections and bypolls on April 23 even if they produce their Aadhaar cards or other identity proof.

The chief electoral officer of Goa has stated that the viral messages on social media and Whatsapp claiming that those whose names are not on the rolls will be able to vote by showing ID proof is false. One will not be able to vote if one’s name is not on the electoral rolls.

One cannot use a ‘challenge vote’ as claimed in the fake message if one’s name is not the electoral rolls, he added. A challenged vote can be cast only if one of the polling agents challenge the identity of a voter.

If a voter finds that someone has voted against his/her name, he/she can ask for a tender vote and cast their vote after producing identity proof.

Those whose names are on the rolls but do not have an EPIC card can still vote using any of the 11 alternative ID proof--passport, driving licence, service identity card (issued to employees by central/ state govt/ PSUs/ public limited companies), passbook (issued by Bank/ post office with photo), pan card, smart card (issued under the scheme of ministry of labour), MNREGA Job Card, health insurance smart card (issued under the scheme of ministry of labour), pension document (with photo), official identity card (issued to MPs/ MLAs/ MLCs), aadhar card.