Context: The Election Commission (EC) is keen to make the Elector’s Photo Identity Card or EPIC available in electronic form.
About 

• The EPIC is only available in hard copy, and has to be produced in the original by the voter on Election Day.
• EPIC only establishes the identity of those whose names are there in the Electoral Roll to ensure that their right to vote is smoothly exercised.
• EPICs are issued only to the electors enrolled in the general rolls.

Conditions for Digital Voter ID card

• An eligible voter will have to provide her mobile number or email address to the EC machinery at the time of applying for enrolment in the voters’ list.
• The new voter can download the Voter Card through OTP (One Time Password) authentication.
• The existing voters may have to re-verify their details with the EC (similar to the Bank KYC process) and provide their email or mobile phone number to get their cards in the electronic form.

Election Commission’s view on Digital Voter ID card

• An electronic card will help the EC save costs on printing and distributing hard copy of EPIC.
• The EC feels that voters too, will find it useful to have the PDF file of her voter card on her phone, which will do away with the necessity of first producing a voter’s slip on the day of voting.
• The digital voter card is not expected to look too different from its physical form.
• The soft copy may also have a QR code that will carry the voter’s enrolment details such as name and date of birth and address.