Mangaluru: Your stay in the voting compartment of the election booth during the forthcoming assembly election is all set to be seven seconds longer. This is due to the introduction of voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) that is making its maiden appearance in the assembly elections in Karnataka. VVPAT attached to the electronic voting machine (EVM), displays a slip of the vote cast for seven seconds.
The slip shows the serial number, party symbol and photo of the candidate or NOTA, if that is what a voter opts for, before it drops it into a connected box following a beeping sound to indicate completion of the voting process. “Use of VVPATs in the assembly elections clears doubts in a section of people about the working of EVMs,” said DC Sasikanth Senthil. After people cast their vote, VVPAT generate a slip, which voters see in the given time, and verify the veracity of their vote.
Interacting with reporters at a demonstration session on working of EVMs and VVPATs, Senthil said if the voter finds that the slip displayed in the VVPAT is different from what one has voted, the voter in turn can point it out to the presiding officer, who will undertake a written declaration under Rule 49 (M) about the allegation, and then allow him/her a test vote. “If the mismatch is noticed even in the test vote, then the voting will be stopped,” Senthil said.
All EVMs and VVPATs for the district have been tested in the presence of representatives of political parties between February 20 and March 14. On the polling day, the presiding officer will commence voting after conducting a mock poll, Senthil said, adding that on counting day, they will randomly choose one polling booth per assembly constituency, where slips in the VVPAT box will be counted, against the votes secured by a candidate that the EVMs display.
The EC will do this in cases where candidates or their party raise suspicion over voting in a particular booth, Senthil, also the district election officer, said, adding that a separate demo session on working of EVMs and VVPAT will be conducted for political parties. District Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation committee will conduct programmes from Monday at the polling booth-level to give hands-on experience to voters about EVMs and VVPAT.
People can submit Form 6 for inclusion of names in the electoral roll till April 14. A special state-wide enrolment drive will be held on April 8. Voters can SMS the EPIC number (KAEPIC
EPIC number) to 9731979899 and get the polling station and other details, he said. People can get election-related information and also lodge complaints of election malpractices by calling toll free numbers 1950 and 18004252099. M R Ravi, CEO, Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat and senior officials were present.
For information log on to: www.dk.nic.in/election; www.facebook.com/Deomangaluru-246148839209978
