The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a significant upgrade to the design of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) ballot papers, set to debut in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The revised guidelines, issued on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, mandate the use of color photographs of candidates on EVM ballots, a departure from the previous practice of using black-and-white or no photographs.
This move aims to enhance clarity and readability for voters, reducing potential confusion, especially in constituencies where multiple candidates share similar names. The ECI has revised the guidelines under Rule 49B of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, to bring these changes.
Under the new guidelines, candidate photographs will occupy three-fourths of the photo space on the EVM ballot paper, ensuring better visibility of the candidates' faces. The serial numbers of candidates and NOTA (None of the Above) will be printed in the international form of Indian numerals, using a uniform font size of 30 and in bold for enhanced clarity. To maintain uniformity, the names of all candidates, including NOTA, will be printed in the same font type and size, ensuring easy readability. The EVM ballot papers will be printed on 70 GSM paper to ensure durability. For Assembly elections, a pink-colored paper with specified RGB values will be used.
The ECI initiated the practice of using photographs on EVM ballot papers a decade ago to avoid confusion where candidates had similar names. The current changes aim to build on this initiative by making the ballot papers more voter-friendly and reducing confusion at polling booths. The use of color photographs and larger fonts is expected to strengthen voter confidence by ensuring voters can easily identify their preferred candidates.
The ECI stated that this upgrade is one of 28 initiatives taken in the last six months to streamline and improve election processes and enhance convenience for voters. These changes will be implemented in upcoming elections, starting with the Bihar Assembly elections.
