by: Navjeevan Express

National Voter’s Day: Voter ID cards to go digital as EC targets 5 state elections

NE NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, JAN 24

The Election Commission is set to launch the e-EPIC (Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card) programme on Monday, January 25, which is the National Voter’s Day.

New voters will get the facility after downloading the card on a registered mobile connection. Once the approval by competent authorities for a new application for a voter card is provided, the applicant can get it in digital format.

According to the plan, on the digital format of the EPIC, there will be two different QR codes consisting of information about the voter. One QR code will have the voter’s name and other specific details while the second code will have the voter’s other information. Based on the data stashed in the QR codes in the downloaded version of the EPIC, voting rights can be availed.

Once the EC plan rolls out, Service and Overseas Voters will also be able to download their EPIC. At present they are not provided physical voter ID cards. The facility will be also helpful for those voters who have shifted and need to enroll their names at new polling booths. Apart from this, voters who have lost their cards and applied for new ones will also be able to use this service after their applications for new cards are approved.

The initiative would be launched in two phases. In the first phase from January 25 to 31, all those new voters who have applied for the voter-ID and registered their mobile numbers in Form-6 will be able to download the e-EPIC by authenticating their mobile number.

Sources said that the digital EPIC service will become available to voters across the country before assembly elections in five states.