Voter ID cards only meant for elections, not address verification: Karnataka poll official

BENGALURU: Voter ID cards are only meant to be used for elections and are not intended for address verification or any other purposes, said Sanjiv Kumar, chief electoral officer of Karnataka, on Monday.

Speaking at the National Voters Day celebrations and on the sidelines of the launch of the E-Epic app, he said it had come to their notice that the cards are being used for home and address verification and validation information is being sought from election officials. This should not be done. He also pointed out that fake voter identity cards are being promised by scamsters and citizens should not fall into such traps. Many cases have also been booked against such offenders, he said.

He added that henceforth all COVID-19 norms will be followed in all elections and the Sira and RR Nagar polls showed that this was possible. Citizens above 90 can vote from their homes using postal ballots and special medical arrangements can also be made for voters.

Also present in the occasion, Karnataka chief secretary P Ravi Kumar said people in India don't release that to make the election process simple, a lot of back end work is done. Youngsters can undergo an internship in the department to understand the process and system, he said, adding that the back end job to make elections smooth and hassle free can take years.

Also, the election commission should come out with more technological advances so that youth are made aware of the process of registering, voting and even the importance of voting, he said. It's a mobile world and youth today are constantly using their smartphones. They should be made aware of not just general elections but even MLC and graduate elections, he added.