Four voter IDs, one person: EC clarification raises questions over safeguards in UP

• Uttar Pradesh’s election office acknowledged that repeated applications by one person can generate multiple voter ID cards.

• It disputed a specific social media claim, saying the voter had submitted four applications, rather than two, and received four cards.

• The exchange raises questions about safeguards against duplication, with officials saying checks at the application stage are still being developed.

Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Electoral Officer’s office has acknowledged that repeated applications by the same person can generate multiple voter identity cards, raising questions about the safeguards voters rely on for an accurate and dependable registration system.

The admission came as the office disputed a social media claim that an individual received four Elector Photo Identity Cards, or EPICs, after submitting two Form 6 applications. Officials said the voter had actually submitted four applications.

Although the clarification challenged the number of forms cited, it confirmed that one person’s repeated applications had resulted in four cards.

For voters, the exchange brings a broader concern into focus: whether registration systems can identify repeat applications before additional cards are issued, and how errors are subsequently corrected.

The CEO’s office said the Election Commission periodically conducts deduplication through ECINET. It also said work was underway to detect multiple applications from an individual at the submission stage, but provided no specific deadline for introducing that safeguard.

The response did not explain whether the four cards corresponded to separate electoral roll entries or whether any corrective action had been completed in this case. Multiple cards alone do not establish that a person is registered more than once or has voted more than once.

Officials challenged the social media user to publish the reference numbers of the two applications mentioned in the post, offering to disclose the remaining two to substantiate their account.

The office also asked the user to amend or delete the post, describing the claim as false and warning that it could undermine confidence in the Election Commission.

The episode highlights the importance of clear explanations alongside technical corrections. Voters need to know how duplicate applications are detected, whether their electoral records are accurate and how registration problems can be resolved without affecting their right to vote.

With IANS inputs