On National Voter's Day, Voter-ID cards to go digital as EC targets 5 state elections

New Delhi, Jan 24: The Election Commission is set to launch the e-EPIC (Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card) programme on January 25, which is the National Voter's Day.

e-EPIC is a non-editable secure portable document format (PDF) version of the EPIC and will have a secured QR code with image and demographics like serial number, part number, etc. E-EPIC can be downloaded on a mobile or a computer and can be digitally stored. This is in addition to physical IDs being issued for fresh registration.

The e-EPIC initiative would be launched in two phases. In the first phase from January 25 to 31, all new voters who have applied for the voter-ID card and registered their mobile numbers in Form-6 will be able to download the e-EPIC by simply authenticating their mobile number. The mobile numbers should be unique and not be previously registered in the ECI's electoral rolls.

"The second phase will start from February 1. It will be open for the general voters. All those who have given their mobile numbers (linked one) they can also download their e-EPIC", said ECI official.

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"The delays, losing cards and not been able to get the voter-ID cards is an issue that won't be there. Moreover, most of the ID cards are moving on the digital platform", he added.

e-EPIC can be downloaded through the following online links, however, the voter-ID card would also be sent to them: Voter Helpline Mobile app (Android/iOS) https://voterportal.eci.gov.in/ https://nvsp.in/.

The Election Commission (EC) had been toying with the idea of providing voters with election photo identity card in a digital format for easy accessibility.

In digital mode, the picture of the voter will also be clearer, making the identification easier.