Booth Level Officer
Also called: BLO · Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A Booth Level Officer (BLO) is a local government employee who looks after the voters' list for one polling booth. The BLO is often a teacher or an anganwadi worker. The BLO goes from house to house to check who lives there, who has turned 18, and who has died or moved away. The BLO works under the Electoral Registration Officer, who makes the final decisions on the roll. BLOs matter because a clean voters' list starts at the doorstep.
Example
During the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar in 2025, BLOs went house to house to count voters again. They helped add eligible voters and mark dead, shifted, duplicate or untraceable entries. The roll fell from 7.89 crore to a draft of 7.24 crore.
Don't confuse with
- Electoral Registration Officer (ERO): a senior officer, usually of SDM rank, who prepares the roll and decides claims and objections. The BLO only checks voters in the field.
- Presiding Officer: runs a polling station on polling day. The BLO works on the voters' list before the poll.
Related concepts
- Representation of the People Act 1950
- Electoral roll
- Qualifying date
- Ordinary residence
- Overseas elector
- Electoral Registration Officer
- Summary revision of electoral rolls
- Special Intensive Revision
- Electors Photo Identity Card