How are votes counted? Here is ECI's step-by-step process

Demonstration of VVPAT machine. Photo file.

CThursday, May 23, will see the start of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which have been held in seven phases of the mammoth exercise. The Election Commission of India has laid down an elaborate procedure for counting centers in constituencies across the country.

Here’s the step-by-step process on Counting Day:

The randomization of counting supervisors and deployment assistants will begin at 5 am
Counting will begin at 8 a.m. under the supervision of returning officers.
Each table in the counting hall will have a counting officer and agents selected by the candidates or their election agents
EVMs will be checked in the presence of authorized officials before counting of votes.
The head/assistant will do the counting. Postal ballots will be counted at the same time.
After each round of enumeration, it is signed by the leader along with the enumeration agents or candidates. The returning officer shall countersign. It will be announced after that.
The entire process will be videotaped
This will be followed by a mandatory VVPAT verification. As per Supreme Court directions, counting of VVPAT slips will be done for five random EVMs in each assembly segment.
In case of discrepancy between slip counting and EVM results, the slips of the given VVPAT will be re-counted and then the ballot symbols of the slips will be checked.
If the results do not match after implementing the set process, the VVPAT slip count will prevail.

What are VVPAT machines?

When the voter presses the button in the EVM, a paper ticket is printed through the VVPAT. The folder contains the poll symbol and the name of the candidate. It allows the voter to verify their choice. After the voter is visible from the glass case in the VVPAT for seven seconds, the ballot paper will be cut and dropped into the box in the VVPAT machine and a beep will sound. Only election commissions have access to VVPAT machines.

One vs five

Earlier, as per ECI Directive 16.6, only VVPAT slips from one EVM in each assembly segment/constituency were subjected to physical verification. Responding to the plea, the Supreme Court ordered that the verification be increased to five EVMs in each assembly segment of the parliamentary constituency.

ECI said that 50% random physical verification of VVPAT, which is what the opposition wanted, would delay the 2019 Lok Sabha poll results by a full six days.

Three-step control

The ECI said it conducted a three-tier EVM-VVPAT check before the elections.

“Each EVM and VVPAT is checked once by slip verification during first level inspection. Then 5% EVMs are randomly selected and subjected to higher inspection through mock poll along with slip verification of 1200 votes for 1%, 1000 votes for 2% and 500 votes for 2% approval percentage of SCCI.

Controls are carried out in the presence of representatives of political parties and candidates.

EVMs and VVPATs are subjected to a second mock poll along with verification of slips when candidates are deployed on EVMs in the presence of candidates or their representatives.

The third mock poll is conducted with the verification of slips of at least 50 votes on EVMs and VVPATs on the election day in the presence of election agents.

Published – May 22, 2019 11:17 PM IST