Registration of Electors Rules 1960
Also called: Electors Rules, Registration of Electors Rules, RER 1960 · Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Registration of Electors Rules 1960 explain, step by step, how the voters' list is made and kept up to date. The Central Government made them under the Representation of the People Act 1950. That Act deals with seats, voters' qualifications and electoral rolls. An electoral roll is the voters' list for a constituency, and only people on it can vote. The Rules set out the forms people use: Form 6 to add a new voter's name, Form 7 to object to a name or have it deleted, and Form 8 to correct an entry or shift it to a new address. They also set the procedure for claims and objections, which the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) hears and decides. The ERO is the official in charge of a constituency's roll.
Example
In 2026, during the Special Intensive Revision of rolls in Delhi, the Election Commission asked existing voters who had been left off the draft roll to reapply on Form 6. Under these Rules, Form 6 is the form for new voters. Form 8 is the form for people who change their address. So the Supreme Court asked why voters who were already registered had to apply as if they were first-time voters.
Don't confuse with
- Conduct of Election Rules 1961: these are made under the RP Act 1951 and govern how the poll itself is run, including EVMs, postal ballots, tendered votes, VVPAT, NOTA and counting. The 1960 Rules deal only with preparing the voters' list.