ECI Expands Postal Ballot Access for Elderly, PwDs, Service Voters and Polling Personnel in Upcoming Assembly Elections

In a significant step toward making elections more inclusive and accessible, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that several categories of voters will be able to cast their votes through postal ballot in the upcoming Assembly Elections. This move is aimed at ensuring that elderly citizens, persons with disabilities, service voters, essential service personnel, media professionals on poll duty, and election staff are not denied the opportunity to vote due to physical limitations or official responsibilities.

The Election Commission had earlier announced the schedule for the General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, along with bye-elections in six states, on March 15, 2026. Following this, election notifications for Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry were issued on March 16, 2026.

As part of the arrangements, electors who are above 85 years of age and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) marked in the electoral rolls will be allowed to vote through the postal ballot system under the provisions of Section 60(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. To avail of this facility, eligible voters must fill out Form 12D and submit it to the Returning Officer through their Booth Level Officer (BLO) within five days of the election notification. Once the application is processed, polling teams will visit the homes of such voters according to a schedule prepared by the respective Returning Officers. This schedule will also be shared with the candidates to ensure transparency in the process.

The ECI has also extended the postal ballot facility to voters engaged in essential services on polling day. These include personnel working in sectors such as fire services, health services, electricity, traffic management, ambulance operations, aviation, and long-distance government road transport corporations, among others. Such voters will be able to apply for postal ballots through the designated Nodal Officer of their respective department.

Another notable inclusion is that media personnel officially authorized by the Election Commission for poll-day coverage will also be treated as absentee voters under essential services, making them eligible for the postal ballot facility as well. This is an important measure considering the role journalists play in covering elections while being unable to vote in person due to work commitments.

For those deployed on election duty, the Commission has made special facilitation arrangements. These voters will receive their postal ballot, record their vote, and submit it at designated facilitation centres. The ECI has specifically directed that these centres must ensure complete secrecy of voting, thereby upholding the integrity and confidentiality of the electoral process.

Meanwhile, service voters will continue to receive their postal ballots electronically through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS). The Returning Officer will send these ballots immediately after the final list of contesting candidates is prepared. Importantly, service voters will not have to bear any postal expenses for sending back their ballots.

The Commission has clarified that all postal ballots must reach the concerned Returning Officers by 8:00 AM on May 4, 2026, the day scheduled for the counting of votes. In addition, Returning Officers and District Election Officers have been directed to properly brief political parties and contesting candidates about these provisions so that the process remains transparent and well understood by all stakeholders.

This initiative reflects the Election Commission’s continued effort to make the democratic process more inclusive, convenient, and voter-friendly. By widening access to postal ballots, the ECI is helping ensure that age, disability, duty, or public service responsibilities do not stand in the way of a citizen’s right to vote.

Source: PIB