Most people vote in person at their assigned booth. A defined set of electors may instead vote by post, and a smaller set can have polling officials visit them at home. Both routes are narrower than people assume, so it is worth knowing whether you actually qualify before relying on them.
Who can vote by post
There are two broad groups.
Service voters are members of the armed forces, personnel of state armed police serving outside their state, and government employees posted abroad, along with their spouses. They are registered differently from ordinary electors and vote by post as a matter of course.
Absentee voters are ordinary electors who fall into notified categories and choose the postal route for a particular election. This is the group most readers will be asking about.
The absentee categories
- Electors aged 85 and above. The threshold was originally set at over 80 and was later raised, so older guidance you may find elsewhere is out of date.
- Electors marked as persons with disability on the roll, where the benchmark disability threshold is met. Marking your entry is done through Form 8; see correcting your voter ID details.
- Essential services staff on duty on polling day. The notified list has covered services such as health, fire, electricity, traffic, ambulance, aviation and long-distance government road transport.
- Accredited media persons authorised by the Election Commission to cover polling day.
Being busy, travelling for work, or living in another city does not qualify you. There is no general absentee ballot in India for electors who simply cannot get to their booth.
How to apply: Form 12D
The application is Form 12D, a letter of intimation to the Returning Officer.
- Form 12D reaches you through your Booth Level Officer, who visits after the election is notified.
- Fill it in and return it to the BLO. It must reach the Returning Officer within five days of the notification, which is a short window.
- Electors applying on disability grounds attach the disability certificate.
- Essential services staff apply through their department’s designated Nodal Officer rather than directly.
The five-day limit is the part that catches people out. If you think you qualify, watch for the BLO rather than waiting to be chased.
Home voting
For electors aged 85 and above and for those marked as persons with disability, the facility is usually delivered as home voting. A polling team visits the address with the ballot, on a schedule the Returning Officer prepares and shares with candidates so their agents can accompany the team.
Secrecy is maintained at the home exactly as it would be in a booth. This was offered at scale for the first time in a general election in 2024.
It is a choice, not a transfer
Opting for the postal route means you give up voting in person in that election. Once you have applied and been accepted, you cannot change your mind and turn up at the booth instead. Decide before you file Form 12D.
If you do not qualify, the ordinary route still applies. Check your name on the roll, find your polling booth and check what identification to take.
Categories and thresholds are set by the Election Commission and have changed before. Confirm the current position for your election at eci.gov.in or on the national voter helpline, 1950.
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