New voter registration in Kerala has become significantly easier. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has removed the mandatory 'additional affidavit' (declaration form) that applicants had to submit alongside their registration forms. The declaration form was removed from the official national voter service portal on Wednesday night.

This decision applies to states where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process has already concluded. It eliminates a tedious hurdle for applicants, who were previously subjected to SIR procedures even after the formal revision period had ended. The commission recently clarified that outside active SIR periods, only the standard Form 6 is required for new voter registration. Consequently, citizens in Kerala seeking to register as voters now only need to submit Form 6. Meanwhile, the declaration form remains mandatory in 13 states and union territories, including Delhi, where SIR is still underway, but will be phased out there as well once the revision concludes.

What was the declaration form?
The declaration form was essentially a replica of the SIR enumeration form. Under this rule, an applicant had to prove either that their name was on the previous SIR list or that at least one of their parents was registered on it. Those who could not prove this had to produce a mountain of alternative documents. This troublesome requirement was not only mandatory for new registrations but was also enforced for transferring voter registration from one state to another (Form 8).

The controversy erupted because the commission unilaterally bundled this declaration form with Form 6 without making any statutory amendments to the electoral rules. On 16 May, Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi penned a strong dissent note, pointing out that such an addition was legally untenable without amending the Registration of Electors Rules 1960. Later, on 13 August, fellow Election Commissioner SS Sandhu also criticised the move in a formal letter, terming the unilateral modification as unauthorised and illegal.

How this benefits voters
With this new directive, registering as a voter or transferring registration between states has become far more straightforward. Once the SIR process is complete in a state, applicants only need to fill out the standard Form 6 (or Form 8 for transfers). They will no longer need to track down historical SIR lists dating back to 2002 or 2003. However, the declaration form will still be required during the claims and objections period while an SIR is actively ongoing in a state.