The Election Commission has revised the existing guidelines under the conduct of elections rules, for the design and printing of the EVM Ballot Papers to enhance their clarity and readability. The initiative is in line with the 28 initiatives taken by the Commission in the past six months to streamline and improve election processes and enhance convenience for voters. 

As per the guidelines, the photographs of candidates will be printed in colour on the EVM Ballot Paper, and the candidate’s face will occupy three-fourths of the photo space for better visibility. To ensure uniformity, the names of all candidates and NOTA will be printed in the same font type for easy readability. 

The Commission informed that the upgraded EVM Ballot Papers will be used in the upcoming elections, starting with Bihar. The poll body has written a letter to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union territories in this regard. It instructed that the names of not more than fifteen candidates shall be arranged on one sheet of a ballot paper, and the NOTA option will come after the last name of the panel.