How to register as a Service Voter ?

You are a Service Voter if You are

• in the Armed Forces of India
• from Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, ITBF; GREF in Border Road Organisation; Central Industrial Security Force
• employed under the Government of India, in a post outside India
• member of an Armed Police Force of a State, and serving outside that state

Wife of a Service Voter, if she is ordinarily residing with him, shall also be eligible to be enrolled in the part meant for Service Voters in the constituency concerned. This facility is not available to the husband of a female service voter under the existing law.

Points to remember

• While wife can be enrolled as Service Voter, a son / daughter cannot be enrolled as Service Voter
• No person can be enrolled on more than one electoral roll i.e. when you enrol as a service voter you have to submit a declaration - that you did not get enrolled as a general elector

Enroll as Service Voter

• Fill 2 copies of Form 2 for Armed forces ; Form 2A for Armed Police Force ; Form 3 for Govt officials serving abroad
• Fill the Declaration Form & submit to the Record Office or nodal officer.

After Announcement of Elections

Service voter can exercise his vote either by Postal Ballot System or by Electronic Postal Ballot System

Postal Ballot System

• When elections are announced, Returning Officer of your constituency shall send you the postal ballot
• Record your vote by placing clearly a mark opposite the name of the candidate of your choice on the ballot paper; Your vote will be invalid if the mark does not clearly indicate your choice
• Do not put your signature, any word, sign or any other mark on the ballot paper other than the mark required to record your vote

• After recording your vote, place the ballot paper in the smaller cover marked 'A' sent herewith; close the cover and secure it by seal
• Sign the declaration in Form 13A also sent herewith in the presence an officer appointed by the Commanding Officer of the Unit, ship or establishment
• The officer will attest your signature and return the declaration to you; you must not show your ballot paper to the attesting officer nor tell him how you have voted

• Place the Declaration and also the smaller cover marked 'A' containing the ballot paper in the larger cover marked 'B'
• After closing the larger cover, send it to the returning officer by post or by messenger. Give your full signature in the space provided on the cover marked `B'
• No postage stamp need be affixed by you. You must ensure that the cover reaches the Returning Officer before the specified date

Electronic Postal Ballot System

To reduce the transit time for sending a postal ballot, ECI has now introduced ETPB whereby the postal ballot is sent electronically to the Service Voter. When there is an election announced, the Returning Officer of the concerned constituency sends the ballot electronically to the Service Voter with the voters’ details already filled in. A One Time Password (OTP) is also provided to enable the voter to download the ETPB. Along with ETPB, the Service Voter gets the declarations form (Form 13A), Form 13B and Form 13C. The ETPB has to be filled up in the same manner as the conventional postal ballot and sent by post back to the Returning Officer.

Voting through proxy (Classified Service Voter)

Once you are registered as a Service Voter, you (if you are serving in armed forces or in a force to which Army Act applies) can opt for voting through Proxy as a Classified Service Voter, meaning, you can nominate somebody to vote in your place.

• You can opt for voting through PROXY
• Fill Form 13F before the CO and send it to your proxy for his / her signature before a Notary / First Class Magistrate
• Proxy can submit the Form to the Returning Officer(RO) concerned
• If you are at native place, both you and your proxy can sign Form 13 F before a Notary / First Class Magistrate and send to the RO
• Application for appointment of a proxy should be received by the RO before the last date of filing of nomination papers
• Proxy should be ANY ordinary resident of that constituency; need not be a registered voter but must not be disqualified to be registered as a voter
• Once appointed, the proxy will continue until his/her appointment is revoked by the service voter
• Proxy can be changed/ revoked to revert back to postal ballot by filling Form 13G and submitting to RO
• Proxy appointed by you shall vote physically at the Polling Station of your Constituency