Could not collect your voter ID cards? Is your ID card damaged?

No need to worry, says the Election Commission (EC).

A meeting of the EC on Friday, two days ahead of voting, decided to make it easier for voters, allowing them to cast their ballots with any other valid ID cards like citizenship, driving licence, passport, old voters ID card, land ownership certificate or social security allowance documents.

Half of the country will vote on Sunday in the first phase of elections to elect representatives in 283 local units of 34 districts of three provinces-3, 4 and 6.

EC officials said citizens eligible to vote can cast their ballots with valid ID cards other than the voter ID only if their names are on the voter roll.

The decision has been taken to ensure none of the eligible voters are deprived of their right to exercise franchise just because they do not have voter ID.

The EC started distributing voter ID cards on Thursday. Voters can collect their IDs till Saturday from 6,642 polling centres.

“But many people might fail to collect their voter ID cards on time due to a number of reasons—they could be returning home from other parts of the country or even abroad to cast their votes. If they fail to collect their voter ID cards should in no way deprive them of their right to vote,” CEC Ayodhee Yadav said of the poll body’s decision.

The move comes as a huge relief for those people also who were on Friday at their wit’s end after failing to collect their voter ID cards, as some were misplaced or dispatched to other polling centres.

The poll body is learnt to have received hundreds of complaints from voters who either said voter ID cards either were not delivered to their polling centres or were damaged.

“The number of such complaints, however, is less than 1,000,” said Election Commissioner Narendra Dahal.

There are a total of 4,956,925 registered voters in three provinces where the first phase of voting is scheduled for Sunday.

The EC, however, has not said whether voters can cast their ballots with other valid ID cards other than voter ID  cards in the second phase of polls which are scheduled for June 14.

“Today’s decision was taken for the first phase voting taking place on Sunday,” said Dahal. “This same rule may be applicable for the second phase of polls as well unless and until a different decision comes into force before that.”