Proofs essential to cast votes if no voter’s ID card

The Election Commission of India has directed that all electors in all constituencies who have been issued Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) have to produce the Electors Photo Identity Card for their identification at the polling station before casting their votes.

However, those electors who are not able to produce the EPIC can produce one of the following alternative photo identity documents for establishing their identity. The list of eleven documents is:

• Passport,
• Driving License,
• Service Identity Cards with photograph issued to employees by Central/State Govt./PSUs/Public Limited Companies,
• Passbooks with photograph issued by Bank/Post Office,
• PAN Card,
• Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR,
• MNREGA Job Card,
• Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour,
• Pension document with photograph,
• Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs, and
• Aadhaar Card.

It may be noted that ECI has ruled that photo voter slips will not be valid as stand-alone identification document for voting.