Bengaluru: With parents worried about enrolling first-time voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, election officials clarified that eligible young voters can be added even if they do not yet have a voter ID, though only after the draft rolls are published.The electoral rolls were frozen in June 2026, and enumeration forms are being issued only to those whose names already appear on the rolls.During door-to-door enumeration at one Mujir Pasha’s home in Bengaluru Central, confusion arose when he sought to register his 20-year-old son, who has not yet obtained a voter ID. “I have a 20-year-old son who hasn’t made his ID card. How can he register?” he asked. Without a voter ID or EPIC number, the booth-level officer (BLO) was unable to locate an enumeration form for him, and the family was advised to try registering online.During TOI’s visits to multiple households where enumeration was underway, another parent found his 19-year-old son’s e-voter ID linked to his mobile number through the ECI (Election Commission of India) app.In another case, the parents of a 19-year-old who are abroad did not have access to their phone numbers to check the same. “Her grandmother is home and will check with the BLO for registering her,” they decided.Yet another parent said her 18-year-old daughter also needed to be registered, but the process remained unclear during the BLO’s visit.Arun Kumar, electoral registration officer (ERO), said eligible voters can apply online through Form 6 after the final SIR notification on Oct 7, when the electoral rolls are unfrozen.S Yogeshwar, joint chief electoral officer, said applicants will have to wait until the Aug 5 draft rolls. “There will be no editing of the rolls now since they are frozen. They can apply, and after the SIR process, they will be issued voter cards. But applications will not be processed during the exercise,” he said.With the assembly and parliamentary elections at least two years away, the clarification offers some relief. However, apprehensions remain as several govt schemes and benefits are increasingly linked to voter IDs.
