EC Offers Fresh Route for Voters Omitted From Draft Rolls

The Election Commission of India has ordered officials in Delhi and six states to give voters omitted from draft electoral rolls another opportunity to seek inclusion in the final lists, after their enumeration forms were not received during the ongoing revision exercise. The November 6 directive applies to electors marked absent, shifted, dead or duplicate, a category abbreviated as ASDD, whose issued forms were not returned and who were consequently left off draft rolls. The jurisdictions are Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland. Officials must display booth-level lists of affected electors again at polling stations and designated local government offices. The lists are also to be made available on the websites of the respective Chief Electoral Officers, with probable reasons for each person’s non-inclusion. The Commission has directed election officials to contact voters and facilitate submission of fresh enumeration forms. Booth Level Officers are to conduct house-to-house visits and use available contact methods, including WhatsApp, email and text messages. Voters may also access forms through the Election Commission website or...