Voter ID in Bihar

India is one of the world's greatest democracies with over 8 crore citizens enrolled as electors and a large number of citizens are added to that electorate each year. Bihar is the thirteenth largest state in India, with greater than 40 parliamentary seats and 243 members of Parliament in the state assembly. Hence, the management and conducting of such elections are done by the ECI which registers and provides guidelines for both the electors and the candidates.

As part of its responsibilities, the Election Commission also registers new voters based on the criteria of eligibility as prescribed by the Constitution of India. Once upon a time it was a lengthy process, but the Election procedure has been streamlined by the ECI to make it easier for all eligible individuals to join and exercise their fundamental right to vote.

Apply for Voter ID Card Online in Bihar

With the application process of all national identity cards being digitized, it is much more convenient to apply for voter ID card online in Bihar

You can follow these steps to apply online:

• Visit the website the official website of Bihar Election Commission.

• Click on the option E-registration.

• Under E-registration, there are two options, namely - Assembly Constituency and Council Constituency.

• Select Form 6 from Assembly Constituency.

• Open Form 6 and fill out the form accurately.

• After all the details are entered click on submit and it will be sent to the Bihar Election Commission.

• An application number is generated that can be used by the applicant to trace their voter ID application.

• Then a Booth Level Officer will tour your place to check whether every detail that you have furnished is correct or not.

• In case you need any help concerning this or have a doubt, you can dial the toll-free number 1950.

How Can You Apply for Voter ID Card Offline in Bihar?

Even if the nation has gotten digitized, not everyone has access or even basic skills to complete the application process online. And even if they have the skills, some people prefer the slow method of applying in person. These people can still apply for a voter ID card offline in the state by contacting their nearest electoral office.

You can follow the process described below to apply for voter ID offline in Bihar:

• Obtain the application form and other listed forms from your nearby electoral office. Form 6 (Application for insertion of name in electoral roll), Form 7 (application form for deletion of an eligible voter's name from the electoral roll), Form 8 (application form for correction of the details in voter ID card) and Form 8A (used to apply for transposition of an eligible voter’s name in the electoral roll) are the election ID card related forms. As a new applicant, you must fill up Form 6. You must also submit necessary KYC documents such as your identity proof, your age proof and residence proof. You can submit copies of your passport, driving license, Aadhar card, SSLC Book, Ration Card, rental/ lease agreement, latest utility bill or LIC Policy paper among others accordingly.

• Please remember to submit information of your family members who already own Voter ID cards. This can definitely help in rushing the procedure.

• Go to the nearest Electoral Registration Office to supply the documents. Upon verification, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) assigned by the ERO will visit your residential address to check whether all the information provided by you is correct. To give a voter ID for all listed electors, regular trips are made by the Election Commission of India (ECI) at Designated Photographic Locations (DPIs). Such drives are highly in media from time to time.

How to Trace the Status of Your Voter ID Application in Bihar?

Tracking Voter ID Status Online

• To know the status of your application online, you can visit the Bihar Chief Election Officer website.

• You may prefer to check your application status using your Application ID or your EPIC Number.

• Choose the relevant form:

  • Form 6

  • Form 8

  • Form 7

  • Form 8 A

• Enter your ID or EPIC Number and click on Search to generate your results.

Tracing Voter ID status via SMS

To trace your Voter ID status, you can send the following SMS.

ELE<voter ID number> to 56677

Contacting the Election Commission of India Helpline Number

You can call the toll-free helpline number of ECI, 1950. The helpline is reachable on all working days between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Process of Correcting Voter ID Card Offline in Bihar

As said before, online correction may not be convenient for many people for reasons such as lack of awareness, access or knowledge. But the process of updating the address offline in Bihar is easy as well. You can visit your nearest electoral office and secure Form 8 from the counter. Fill it up correctly and submit it. You'll be required to submit the documents that justify the corrections that you wish to make in your voter ID card. For instance, if you have married recently and wish to drop your maiden name, the commission might ask you to submit a copy of your marriage certificate or an affidavit. After submission, the standard verification process will ensue. An officer from the Electoral Commission of India will be visiting your place of residence for verification of the documents provided by you, and then you can collect your new voter ID card.

Process of Updating the Address Online in Voter ID in Bihar

There are various reasons why someone might wish to change the address in their voter ID Card. Your address might have been misspelled, or you might have moved to a different location within the state. To ensure that the address is updated, you must submit Form 8 to the Electoral Office. The process is not as complicated as before primarily due to the online services provided by the Election Commission.

If you have married and moved to a different location, you might wish to change the address listed on your voter ID. To complete the procedure of changing the address, you'll be required to provide your marriage certificate as proof along with the address proof. Students are requested to submit a declaration signed by the head of the institution/school so that their address can be updated to the hostel address/rental house address. If the company or government office that you work for transfer you to a different place, and you wish to update the new address on your voter ID card, you will be required to give a declaration signed by the senior-most official in your department in terms of position. The approval for such applications doesn't take long if the documents provided are valid.

You can follow these simple steps described below to change your address:

• Log in to the Chief Electoral Officer's website of Bihar using your credentials.

• Click on 'Electoral Services'.

• Select 'Change of Address'.

• A form will be displayed on the screen.

• Enter your EPIC Number.

• If you don't remember your EPIC Number, then you can click Don't Know EPIC and provide the details like your district and constituency and your EPIC will be traced by the system.

• Enter the old and current address on the form and click on 'Agree to the Declaration.'

• After self-verification of the application, click on Submit.

• After the ECI verifies your documents, you'll be receiving your updated voter ID card.

The Process of Updating the Address Offline in Voter ID in Bihar

You can also update your address offline. The offline method for updating address on your voter ID includes obtaining the form from the nearest electoral office, filling it up and submitting it.

The procedure for submitting the form for change in address of voter ID in Bihar is described below:

• Fill up Form 8A correctly and sign on it. It is explicitly designed for change in address.

• Submit the application form along with a copy of all the necessary documents in the nearest Electoral Office.

• The Election Commission verifies your details and a new voter ID card is issued to you in a few days.

Procedure to Apply for Duplicate Voter ID Card Online in Bihar

There are situations when the voter ID card is misplaced or lost. In such situations, there is an urgent need for generating a duplicate voter ID card. The state election commission of Bihar makes a provision for issuing a duplicate voter ID card.

Procedure for applying for a duplicate voter ID card has been explained below:

• Visit the Election Commission of India website.

• Download form EPIC-002.

• If the voter ID card has been lost or stolen, then you will be required to submit the FIR along with the application form.

• If the individuals have torn or unusable voter ID card, they can submit the card along with the application form to the nearest Electoral Office.

• After the application has been verified, you will be receiving the duplicate voter ID card on your address through post or you may collect the voter ID from the electoral office.

Apply for Duplicate Voter ID Card in Bihar Offline

Voter ID card is the most important document. It not only allows people to vote in local, state and national elections but also serves as a proof of identity and address.

You can apply for another voter ID card through offline mode if your card has been stolen or lost by following this simple procedure:

• Visit the nearest electoral office and collect a copy of Form EPIC-002.

• Fill up the form and submit it to the nearest electoral office with all the relevant documents. If you have misplaced or lost your voter ID card, then you also need to submit a copy of the FIR as well.

• If your card is torn, then you must send the card along with the application form.

• The electoral office verifies the details and a new voter ID card is issued.

How to Check Voter List Bihar?

The State Election Commission of Bihar provides a list of eligible electors on the official website of the state election commission of Bihar. The voters are also asked to check for correctness of spelling and other personal details in their voter ID card so that if any corrections are required, it can be fixed before the elections commence. The voters are requested to follow the steps described below to check whether their name is on the electoral list.

For downloading the voter list for election in Bihar, you can follow these steps:

• Visit the official website of the State Election Commission of Bihar.

• Click on 'Search in PDF'.

• Choose the urban local bodies and district that you hail from.

• Select your ward from the drop-down menu.

• Click on the booth name.

• Click on Download.

• The voter list will get downloaded within 2-5 minutes based on the size of the file.

• After it gets downloaded, you can open the file and find your name on the list for elections in Bihar.