Poll panel to tweak counting process for postal ballots from Bihar election, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Election Commission (EC) will modify the counting process for postal ballots, starting with the Bihar Assembly election.
• The new process ensures postal ballot counting concludes before EVM counting.
• The penultimate round of EVM counting will begin only after all postal ballots are accounted for.
• This decision overturns the EC’s 2019 order, which allowed EVM counting to continue regardless of the postal ballot stage.

Detailed Insights:

• The previous instructions allowed EVM rounds to continue irrespective of the postal ballot counting stage, potentially completing EVM counting first.
• Increased postal ballots are due to initiatives like home voting for persons with disabilities and citizens above 85 years.
• The EC has directed Returning Officers to ensure enough tables and staff to avoid delays in handling a large number of postal ballots.
• The INDIA bloc demanded that postal ballots be counted first, before EVM rounds, prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Postal Ballot: A method of voting where ballots are mailed in, primarily used by voters unable to reach polling stations.
• EVM (Electronic Voting Machine): An electronic device used to record votes in place of paper ballots.
• VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail): An independent verification system allowing voters to confirm their vote was recorded correctly.