Above 17 but not 18 yet? EC says you can register in advance to become a voter

The Election Commission of India on Thursday announced that those above 17 years of age will no longer have to await the pre-requisite criterion of being 18 years old to enrol themselves on the voters' list.

The decision is taken with the aim to provide more opportunities for youth to become part of the voters' list and promote a healthy electoral roll.

Till recently, people turning 18 on or before January 1 of a particular year were eligible to enrol themselves in the voters' list. Those turning 18 after January 1 had to wait for one whole year to register as voters.


Now, according to the ECI report, any citizen attaining the age of 18 years by April 1, July 1 and October 1 of 2023 can also submit an advance application for registration as a voter from the date of draft publication of the electoral roll.

According to an EC statement on Thursday, the poll panel led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey has directed the poll machinery in the states to work out tech-enabled solutions to facilitate those above 17 years of age (but not yet 18) to file their advance applications.

"Henceforth, the electoral roll will be updated every quarter and eligible youngsters can be registered in the next quarter of the year in which he or she has attained the qualifying age of 18 years," it said.