Postal Ballots Reserved for Election Duty Officials Only

Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission has clarified that postal ballots will be available exclusively to eligible voters who are on election duty. Under the Kerala Panchayat Raj and Municipality laws, postal voting cannot be extended to any category of voters not assigned to election duty.

During the 2020 general elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic, postal ballots were similarly restricted to officials on election duty. At that time, special postal ballots were also provided only to COVID patients and those in quarantine, under the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Applications for postal ballots will be processed at the designated offices. Election officers appointed for duty have been instructed to provide postal ballot papers, upon request, in the prescribed format and timeframe, along with a copy of the order of their election duty appointment. Applicants must submit their requests through the election officers of the ward where they are registered.

The Election Commission has also confirmed that no postage stamps are required either to dispatch postal ballots to applicants or to return the completed votes to the concerned election officer.