Electoral roll

Polity & Governance glossary

Also called: Voter list · Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 5 "Universal Franchise and India's Electoral System"; Class 9, Ch 7 "Elections"; Class 11, Ch 3 "Election and Representation"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Era of One-Party Dominance"

Meaning

The electoral roll is the official voters' list for each constituency. It is arranged by polling station. It is prepared and revised under the Representation of the People Act 1950, under the overall charge of the Election Commission of India (Art. 324). Only a person whose name is on the roll can vote. Each person may have only one entry, in one constituency (ss.17-18). A good roll includes every eligible voter and leaves out dead, shifted, duplicate and ineligible names.

Example

In Bihar in 2025, the Special Intensive Revision used the 2003 roll as its base. The roll fell from 7.89 crore to a draft of 7.24 crore, about 65 lakh names fewer. The final roll, published on 30 September 2025, had 7.42 crore electors.

Don't confuse with

  • Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC): a card that proves who you are at the booth. It does not give you a vote if your name is missing from the roll.
  • Single general electoral roll (Art. 325): the rule that each constituency has one common list for all voters, with no separate list by religion, race, caste or sex.

Related concepts

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