Thiruvananthapuram: This time the voter is better equipped to ensure his vote goes to the right candidate as, for the first time, photos of candidates appear alongside names and symbols on the ballot unit in tandem with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail display unit. But the catch is that it will all be over in seven seconds once the button has been pressed. And there is no second time.
VVPAT machines are light and heat-sensitive and so these are kept away from direct light. On the other hand, ballot units have to be well lit so that names, symbols and pictures are legible. While counting, VVPAT would be counted in half the booths in addition to the EVM tally in each Lok Sabha constituency to rule out mischief or malfunction.
The voter can complain to the presiding officer if the button shows the wrong symbol or the picture of a different candidate or if details on the ballot unit and the VVPAT unit do not tally. But if the complaint is fake, which will be verified by the officials, the voter shall be punishable with fine and jail.
All those in queue in front of the booth by 6 pm are entitled to vote. Officials will ensure this by issuing slips, giving the last man in queue slip No 1 and the first in queue the last slip number. Women with babies in arms, the physically challenged and the old have priority in voting. Males and female have separate queues.
Voters can prefer other documents for ID proof in the absence of the voter ID card: passport, driving licence, service ID cards with photograph issued by Central/State/Govern-ment PSU/Public Ltd companies, bank / post office passbook, PAN card, smart card issued by RGI under NPR, MNREGA job card, health insurance smart card issued under the Ministry of Labour, Pension document with photograph, official ID card issued to MPs / MLAs and Aadhaar card.
By the time polling starts at booths across the State at 7 am, the poll officials would have conducted mock polls, starting at 5:30 am so that 50 mock ballots are cast. This is mandatory lest it should affect the credibility of the poll process.
The polling officer is duty bound to allow a genuine voter to cast the ballot even if an election agent questions the voter’s identity.
The agent can persist with his complaint, which would be handed over to the police. If there is doubt about the age, the polling officer shall direct the “voter” complying with formalities. If a voter is unable to vote because someone else had already cast the vote, the voter can case the tendered vote.
A voter after turning at the booth can refuse to vote; the official would record “refused to vote” but cannot compel the person to exercise his/her franchise.
