Based on recent announcements by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the latest updates to postal ballot regulations primarily involve a change to the vote-counting process to enhance transparency and address the rise in absentee ballots.
Key changes to vote-counting
Sequential counting requirement: Effective September 25, 2025, the ECI has mandated that the penultimate (second to last) round of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) vote counting can only begin after the counting of all postal ballots at that center is complete.
Reasoning: This change was made to provide greater clarity and transparency in the counting process, as earlier rules allowed EVM counting to proceed independently of postal ballot counting, which could conclude at different times.
Cause for change: The number of postal ballots has substantially increased due to the ECI extending voting facilities to new categories of absentee voters, such as senior citizens aged 85+ and persons with disabilities.
Efficient counting: To prevent delays, Returning Officers have been directed to ensure that sufficient staff and counting tables are available in centers with a high number of postal ballots.
Other related updates
Absentee voters
Essential services: As of April 2024, the postal ballot facility is also available for absentee voters employed in essential services, as defined by the ECI.
Senior citizens and PwD: The facility for home voting via postal ballot for senior citizens above 85 and persons with disabilities was introduced ahead of the 2024 General Elections.
Supreme Court decisions
Validation of ECI relaxation: In June 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging an ECI circular that relaxed norms for postal ballot attestation in Andhra Pradesh during the 2024 elections. The court found no reason to interfere with the ECI's decision.
Court's stance on ballots: The Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and has rejected petitions to revert to paper ballots.
Voting for NRIs
No postal voting from abroad: For the 2024 General Elections, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) were not permitted to vote via postal ballot from abroad.
In-person voting: NRIs who hold Indian citizenship and are registered voters must be physically present at their designated polling station in India on election day to cast their vote.
ETPBS not for NRIs (yet): While the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) is used for service voters, it is not yet implemented for NRIs, though the possibility has been considered.
