We have the answers to some questions you may have about exercising your franchise.
Karnataka goes to polls on May 12 and citizens are all set to cast their votes. If you are a first-time voter or uncertain about which assembly constituency you belong to or if you have not yet received a voter card despite registering, here is what you can do.
Find your Assembly Constituency
You don’t have to worry, as long as you have your EPIC (Election Photo Identity) number or Voter ID number, or even your address. You can visit the website of the Chief Election Officer Karnataka and find your Assembly constituency.
How to find your polling booth?
To know your Assembly Constituency, polling station address and other details, you can send an SMS containing your EPIC (Voter ID) card Number to +91 9731979899 in this format:
KAEPIC <space> ID Card No.
Example: KAEPICMNO1768201
If you have registered to vote this year and don’t have your voter’s ID yet or if you have lost your voter ID card, you can still vote as long as your name appears in the electoral rolls.
What if you do not have a Voter ID?
If you do not have a Voter ID, you will have to carry a valid ID card with you to the polling booth. The alternative photo ID cards accepted by the Election Commission are:
Passport
Driver’s licence
PAN Card
Service Identity Cards with photograph issued to employees by Central/State Govt PSUs/Public Limited Companies
Passbooks with photograph issued by Bank/Post Office
Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR
MNREGA Job Card
Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour
Pension document with photograph
Authenticated Photo Voter Slip issued by the election commission
Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs
Aadhaar Card
In case you have a voter’s ID, but it is not possible to establish you photo ID, then you will have to produce any one of the acceptable IDs mentioned above.
The Election Commission has said that all overseas voters must furnish a copy of their passports.
Who are the candidates in my constituency?
It is also important to know who the contestants are for your constituency.
If you want to know the names of the candidates contesting from your constituency and the parties they represent, find the database of all candidates according to constituency here.
The works carried out by MLAs, MLA fund utilization and other details about MLAs is also available in the above mentioned link.
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-profit organization has also put up the details of the candidates on its My Neta website, where the information is accessible.