Qualifying date
Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The qualifying date is the date by which a person must turn 18 to be added to the voters' list. Earlier there was only one qualifying date a year, 1 January. Since the Election Laws (Amendment) Act 2021 there are four: 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October. This means young people no longer wait up to a year after turning 18 before they can enrol.
Example
A student turns 18 on 15 February. Under the old rule, they had to wait until the next 1 January to qualify. Now they qualify from 1 April of the same year.
Don't confuse with
- Voting age (61st Amendment, 1988): this lowered the age of voting from 21 to 18. The qualifying date only fixes when that age is counted for enrolment.
Related concepts
- Representation of the People Act 1950
- Electoral roll
- Ordinary residence
- Overseas elector
- Electoral Registration Officer
- Booth Level Officer
- Summary revision of electoral rolls
- Special Intensive Revision
- Electors Photo Identity Card