Tamil Nadu made the final voter list for 2026 available after a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that lasted several months, and which greatly changed the voter list. Archana Patnaik, the Chief Electoral Officer, released the final list on February 23, 2026, which showed 5,67,07,380 voters throughout the state, after big updates and checks.
About the Special Intensive Revision and the final list
The SIR – directed by the Election Commission – went from October 27, 2025, to February 23, 2026, using January 1, 2026, as the date to qualify by. Before the list was made final for the 2026 Assembly elections, staff did a count of people, published a draft, and had a time for people to make claims and raise objections. The state began this work with around 6,41,14,587 voters on October 27, 2025. After checks in the field and looking things over, the list now has 5,67,07,380 voters – a result of many large deletions, and some additions made to improve accuracy before the vote.
Important numbers and a breakdown of the final voter list by group
The final list has 2,77,38,925 men, 2,89,60,838 women, and 7,617 people of the third gender; the list continues to have more women than men. This balance of the sexes has affected political thought and campaign plans in districts recently. The list also shows 12.51 lakh voters who are 18-19 years old, 4.63 lakh voters who are marked as having a disability, and 3.99 lakh people who are 85 or older. Sholinganallur and Avadi have the biggest numbers of voters in their districts, while Harbour and Egmore in Chennai are among the smallest.
Why names were deleted and how the work went
Election staff said the SIR was meant to fix things – to take off duplicate, moved, dead, and otherwise not allowed names. Teams went door to door and checked databases to make the records clean, which is something done as a matter of course, but was done more than usual before the state voting schedule. Staff reported 97.37 lakh names being deleted in all during the work, and 27.53 lakh voters who were allowed to be added during the claims and objections period. The total effect is almost 70 lakh fewer names on the lists since November 2025, giving the final number of voters.
Advice for voters on checking, being added, fixing, and appeals
Voters are asked to look at the Tamil Nadu final voter list on the Chief Electoral Officer website, and to use the ongoing updating from February 23 to fix or add entries. People who are able to can apply online or at Electoral Registration Offices using Form-6 to be added, Form-8 to fix, and Form-7 to have someone taken off the list, if needed. First-time voters who are 18-19, and those who have moved to Tamil Nadu, will get Electors’ Photo Identity Cards by Speed Post. By law, appeals against Electoral Registration Officer choices may be made to the District Magistrate within 15 days, with a second appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days.
What the list means for the 2026 Assembly elections and the correctness of administration
The cleaned-up voter list will be the final list for the 2026 Assembly elections, which will happen before May 10. Parties will pay close attention to young voters and changes at the district level, especially in the fast-growing suburbs which changed the size of the voter base. Besides politics, staff say correct lists are needed for free and fair elections and to stop fraud. Ongoing updating and getting voters involved remain priorities, and the result of the SIR shows the work done by the administration to make voter lists match what is happening on the ground.
