SIR: Not even 0.5% submit enumeration forms online amid website glitches
Even 13 days after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began across Karnataka, not even 0.5% of voters have submitted their enumeration forms online.
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Voters complain of continuous glitches and server issues on the ECINet portal, making the online process difficult
Published - July 12, 2026 07:39 pm IST - Bengaluru
In the past week, between July 5 and July 12, online submissions jumped only by 0.23%. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.
Even 13 days after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began across Karnataka, not even 0.5% of voters have submitted their enumeration forms online.
Voters have complained of continuous glitches and server issues on the ECINet portal, making the online process difficult. As of 6 p.m. on Sunday, only 0.41% of the forms were submitted online. Captcha failures, slow browser response and repeated errors have been reported by those attempting to fill the forms online.
In the past one week between July 5 and July 12, online submissions jumped only by 0.23%.
Many voters told The Hindu that they turned to the online portal because they were yet to receive the physical enumeration forms. Some said they had upcoming travel plans or demanding work schedules and wanted to complete the process early. Others said they preferred the English version available online, as the physical forms are available only in Kannada.
Linking phone number with EPIC
However, technical glitches are only one part of the problem flagged by the citizens. Voters told The Hindu that several procedural hurdles such as linking mobile number to EPIC card, have prevented them from completing the online process.
The online process also differs significantly from the physical one.
While an adult family member can complete and sign the physical SIR enumeration form on behalf of another family member who is absent or unable to do so, online forms should be submitted only by voters. This is mainly because online forms can only be submitted if the voter’s current mobile number is linked to their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC). Many voters, especially older citizens, said their phone number is not linked. The online submission relies on an Aadhaar-based electronic signature (e-sign) system that authenticates each submission through a one-time password (OTP) sent to the mobile number linked to the respective EPIC.
Since the OTP must be received and authenticated by the voter, the process cannot be completed by another family member on their behalf.
Those whose numbers are not linked must first file Form 8 on the ECINet portal to update their mobile number before they can proceed with the enumeration form, adding an extra step that many voters described as cumbersome
Several citizens also reported that while their names and details appear correctly in the publicly available PDF electoral rolls, the ECINet search portal fails to retrieve their records even after they enter the correct EPIC number, making it difficult to complete the last step.
Responding to the low number of online submissions during a recent press conference, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V. Anbu Kumar said the process was still under way. However, the CEO did not comment on the technical glitches reported by voters.
When contacted, several BLOs said they were facing similar issues while assisting voters. They said many people approaching them to locate their 2002 electoral rolls were also unable to retrieve their details online, and argued that voters should wait for the distribution of physical forms.
Published - July 12, 2026 07:39 pm IST
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