Karnataka Election Commission has published the draft voter rolls in the website. Check out the Kannada version here. As of now there is no English version. So you need to know Kannada, and know your booth number or name of the booth to check your name on the list.

To enroll on voter roll yourself without a third party’s help, click here and follow the instructions. A guide from Whitefield Rising on how to register yourself on voter list is here. To summarise it as applicable to any area in Bengaluru:

To check if your earlier submission was successful, go to this: http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/vernacularSearch_New.aspx
In the field ‘District’ check `Bangalore’ or your district from the drop down menu.
In the field ‘Name’ type ONLY the first three letters of your name, for example `Tho’ (this is because there might be spelling mistakes in longer names!)
In the field ‘Relation Name’ again type ONLY the first three letters, for example `Jos’
In the field ‘Assembly Constituency, check ‘Mahadevapura’ (or your own constituency)
You will get several records, check if one fits you and choose it (see below)
and click on the left most box ‘Details’.
If your name does not appear, it is best you register again.

To register again, do so online since this method gives you an acknowledgement receipt immediately
1) Go to http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/ (preferably use Mozilla or Firefox).
2) You will need to create an online id – easy to do with your email id. Your confirmation will come by email with password
3) Follow the simple steps by clicking on “I want to enroll as a voter” on the home page
4) You will need to have a copy of your scanned photo in jpg (less than 50 kb – so compress it for email) plus copy of passport as pdf and copy of proof of residence as pdf. These will need to be uploaded
5) You will fill Form 6 online and submit. Then generate an acknowledgement (This will generate your Form 6 with photo and you need to print it)
6) You need to take the print copy for the ERO to the nearest ERO office.

You can check whether your name exists on the voter roll, by clicking here as well. You can search for your name by entering EPIC number or name and relative’s name. You can even submit  Form-7 to delete your name from the voter list of a particular area, Form-8 for modifying details, and Form-8A for transposition, online.

Initiatives for voter registration

Meanwhile, there are many initiatives helping people get enrolled in the voter list. Bengaluru Political Action Committee (BPAC), in a note, explains that they are going to help people to get registered in voter roll registration. The note says this:

As citizens of Bengaluru, we have the “RIGHT” to

✔ Potholes free safe Roads

✔ Garbage free clean surroundings

✔ Contamination free clean water

✔ Pollution free clean environment

✔ Fear free safe and a peaceful City

To demand the above rights, it is also our DUTY as responsible citizens to CAST OUR VOTES.

Facts & Figures:

City: Bengaluru
Population : over 1.1 crore
Voting percentage in Legislative Assembly Elections:
2008 – 47.22%
2013 – 58.27%

As you are aware, there is a large section of citizens who have not yet enrolled to be a voter. B.PAC is continuing the efforts to sensitise citizens to register as voters through our ‘One Million New Votea’ (OMNV) Campaign.

“Every RIGHT comes with a Responsibility.”

As a citizen or a RWA or a community, to be a part of this campaign and take a lead in your Ward in registering the new votes, please contact Raghavendra H.S. (9739328099)

In yet another initiative, Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF), through its citizen’s collective United Bengaluru, has been working on enrolling more and more people into electoral rolls. United Bengaluru is a citizen’s movement to Reclaim and Protect Namma Bengaluru, with mentors like H.S. Doreswamy, senior freedom fighter; V Balasubramanian, former chief secretary Karnataka; A.T. Ramaswamy, agriculturist and activist, Yellappa Reddy, environmentalist and former Indian Forest Services officer.

A press note from Rajeev Chandrasekhar and NBF says that being a part of the electoral process will help end the system of apathy and corruption that has corroded governance in Bengaluru. Here goes the edited excerpt from the press note:

In the forthcoming elections in 2018, Bengaluru must only elect MLAs (irrespective of Party) who support our desire to Reclaim and Protect Namma Bengaluru.

The first step to voting is to be a registered voter. In Every election, many of us find ourselves unable to vote – because we are not in electoral rolls. Sometimes 10-15% of all eligible voters are left out. Some by accident, sometimes by ruling dispensations who use the BBMP to do so by design.

This campaign #RegisterToVote – that UnitedBengaluru is launching, will:

(1) Help existing voters update current details with the Election Commission of India making them eligible for voting in Bengaluru

(2) Encourage and create awareness for First Time Voters to Register and be added to Electoral Rolls

Citizens are encouraged to give a missed call to 9206056010, They will get an automated response leading to the website reclaimingbengaluru.com with details of ways to register or updating details with the ECI.

The following organisations have partnered this drive:

• Whitefield Rising
• NBF
• BRACE
• AARAMBH
• Bangalore Apartments’ Federation
• Golden Foundation
• Federation of Sanjaynagar RWA
• Apartment Adda
• Citizen Action Forum
• I Change Indiranagar
• UFERWAS
• Forward Foundation
• Prajaa
• K.R. Puram CAWF (KR Puram Constituency Association Welfare Federation)
• Kaggadasapura Rising
• Malleshwaram Swabhimana Initiative
• Horamavu Parisara Abhivruddhi Samithi (HPAS)
• Federation of HSR Layout RWA
• Lake View Defence Colony

Full disclosure: Citizen Matters has worked in the past with BPAC to cover elections and voter sentiment surveys. Citizen Matters was awarded Namma Bengaluru Award in the media category in 2014, by the NBF that initiated United Bengaluru. The information given here is from the press notes shared by the respective organisations, and the onus of accuracy of the information lies with them. The respective organisations are responsible for the way the data collected is handled.