Hyderabad: Among all the voters, who will cast their vote in the Lok Sabha polls 2024, there exists a category, called service voters. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), a person having service qualification falls under the category of service voter.
Who is a Service Voter?
A service voter is a voter having service qualification. The following people fall under of category of service voters:
- Being a member of the Armed Forces of the Union
- Being a member of a Force to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), have been made applicable whether with or without modification
- Being a member of an Armed Police Force of a State, and serving outside that state
- Being a person who is employed under the Government of India, in a post outside India
Difference Between a Service Voter and an Ordinary Voter?
While an ordinary elector is registered in the electoral roll of the constituency in which his place of ordinary residence is located, per say on having service qualification can get enrolled as 'service voter’ at his native place even though he actually may be residing at a different place (of posting). He has, however, an option to get himself enrolled as general elector at the place of his posting where he factually, at the point of time, is residing ordinarily with his family for a sufficient span of time.
Are Members of all Armed Forces/Para Military Forces Eligible to be Enrolled as Service Voters?
The members of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force and personnel of General Reserve Engineer Force (Border Road Organisation), Border Security Force, Indo Tibetan Border Police, Assam Rifles, National Security Guards, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force and Sashastra Seema Bal are eligible to be registered as service voters.
Process of Enrolment as a Service Voter
The EC orders revision or updation of rolls for service voters twice in a year. The Commission sends a communication to the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs informing them of the commencement of the revision program.
As soon as the program is announced, persons having service qualifications can fill up the application in statutory Form 2/2A/3, in duplicate, and hand it to the officer in charge of the record office or the nodal authority in the Ministry of External Affairs (in case of persons employed under Government of India on a post outside India).
The person has to submit a declaration in a prescribed format to the effect that he did not get enrolled as a general elector in any constituency. The officer in charge will check the Form and declaration and ensure that the Form is complete in all respects and particulars filled in by the applicant therein are correct.
The officer in charge, will then, sign the verification certificate provided in the Form itself and forward the same to the Chief Electoral Officer of the State concerned. The Chief Electoral Officer sends the Form to the respective District Election Officer who will then send it to the Electoral Registration Officer of the constituency. The Electoral Registration Officer will process the Form.
Can Wife or Children of a Service Voter also be Enrolled as a Service Voter?
According to the Election Commission, the wife of a service voter shall, if she is ordinarily residing with him, be also deemed to be a service voter in the constituency specified by that person. The service voter has to make a statement to the effect that his wife ordinarily resides with him. The wife will be enrolled as a service voter on the basis of a declaration made by her husband in the application form itself submitted by him and no separate declaration is required to be made by the wife.
A son/daughter/relative/servant etc. residing ordinarily with a service voter cannot be enrolled as a service voter. Under the existing law, this facility is available only to the wife of a male service voter and is not available to the husband of a female service voter.
Can One be Service and General voter Simultaneously?
A person, at a particular time, cannot be enrolled as a voter at more than one place in view of the provisions contained under Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of People Act, 1950. Likewise, no person can be enrolled as an elector more than once in any electoral roll. A service voter has the option either to get himself registered as a service voter or as a general elector.
Classified Service Voter
Service voters belonging to the Armed Forces or Forces to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 are applicable, have the option of either voting through postal ballot or through a proxy voter duly appointed by him. A service voter who opts to vote through a proxy is called a Classified Service Voter (CSV).
How does Proxy Vote?
The proxy can record the vote on behalf of the service voter at the polling station to which the service voter is assigned, in the same manner as any other elector assigned to that polling station. The proxy will be entitled to vote on behalf of the service voter, in addition to the vote that he/she may cast in his / her name if he/she is a registered elector in the constituency, at the polling station to which he/she has been normally assigned.
Source: Election Commission of India
