Kerala State Election Commission recommends expansion of postal ballot facility, three additional qualifying dates for voter enrolment

The State Election Commission (SEC) has called for law amendments to expand the postal ballot facility for local body elections in Kerala to include voters above 80 years and those engaged in essential services and to introduce three additional qualifying dates for voter enrolment.  

These recommendations form part of the SEC’s report on the 2025 local body polls which was released here on Saturday by Governor Rajendra Arlekar, State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan, who is due to step down on Monday, said.

In making them, the Kerala SEC has taken a cue from the Election Commission of India (EC) which, tasked with handling elections to State Assemblies and Parliament, offer these facilities. “Suitable amendments may be made to the provisions in the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, Kerala Municipality Act and the relevant rules to extend the postal ballot facility to the people engaged in military services, essential services, media persons and aged people (above 80 years), since they are unable to cast their votes at the polling station on the day of poll, as provided in the Representation of People Act,” the report said.

The SEC, which maintains its own voter roll and manages elections to local bodies, had received numerous requests for postal ballots from government and civilian groups in the run-up to the local body polls held in two phases on December 9 and 11, 2025. At present, SEC’s  postal ballots are restricted to officials directly linked to the conduct of polls.

Enrolment dates

The SEC has suggested a law amendment to fix the qualifying dates for  enrolment in its electoral roll as January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1, in a year, the same arrangement followed by the EC. At present, the SEC offers only January 1 as the qualifying date.

In connection with the local body polls, the SEC has also called for legal provisions to deploy the Central government employees in Kerala for local body election-related duties and increasing the expenditure ceiling of candidates. The Commission has also recommended the framing of a law prohibiting the defacement of public property and for linking Aadhaar and the electoral roll.  

Ward delimitation after population census

Further, the SEC has suggested that ward delimitation be carried out after every population census rather than every five years. “The Commission’s opinion is that the delimitation should be held on the basis of the latest Census data,” Mr. Shajahan, who had also chaired the latest State Delimitation Commission, told The Hindu.

Unique building identification number

The SEC has recommended that ‘Unique Building Identification Numbers’ be developed for buildings in Kerala. Mr. Shajahan said such numbers could help avoid the confusion that follows number changes after ward delimitations.

On his tenure as Commissioner, Mr. Shajahan said he felt satisfied at having been able to exercise the Constitutional powers of the Commission in a smooth manner. His tenure, which began on March 31, 2021, was marked by a ward delimitation exercise which held as Delimitation Commission chairman, a Statewide voter roll revision, the general election to local bodies in 2025 and 13 byelections. The five-year period also saw the integration of IT systems in the local body election process including the QField app for ward mapping and unique numbers for voters.

On Saturday, the Governor also released the 2026 year book of the SEC and a compendium of important High Court verdicts related to local body polls.