What is Proxy voting for Service Voters?

If you are a service voter belonging to either of the following two categories, then you have an option to vote through a proxy at your home constituency¹:

• Armed forces of the Union
• Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Seema Sashastra Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, General Engineering Reserve Force and Border Roads Organisation under Border Roads Development Board

If you choose this option to vote, you will be recognised as a ‘Classified Service Voter’ (CSV).

This option is NOT available to armed police forces of a State or government officials and diplomats serving abroad.

You can appoint any person living in your home constituency as your proxy if they are:

• Someone who has been living in that constituency for some time and is a citizen of India
• Above 18 years of age
• Not banned from registering as a voter on the electoral roll of that constituency.

How to Appoint a Proxy¹

Sign a duly filled Form 13F before your commanding officer of your unit, ship or establishment and send it to the person who you are appointing as proxy. The proxy will have to sign the form in front of a notary or a First Class Magistrate and submit it to the Returning Officer at your constituency. If you are at your home constituency, both you and your proxy can sign Form 13F before a notary or a First Class Magistrate.

You can exercise this option of voting through proxy only till you remain a service voter.

Once appointed, they will continue to be your proxy till you revoke their appointment, or till they die. If you wish to revoke this to back to voting through postal ballots, you must fill Form 13G and send it to your Returning Officer. As soon as he receives the duly filled form, the proxy will be revoked.

How to vote through proxy¹

Your proxy will cast your vote at the polling station, by following the standard procedure set for general voters. This vote that your proxy will cast will be in addition to the one they may cast in their own name. For the vote that the proxy casts for you, the indelible ink marking will be made on the middle finger of their left hand.

1. Service Electors FAQ, Election Commission of India, available at https://eci.gov.in/faqs/voter-electors/service-voter/faqs-service-electors-r13/ [↩] [↩] [↩]