Safe Custody of Ballot Papers
There is a rigorous process to ensure the security of your vote and voting secrecy. For votes cast in person at polling stations, there is no break in the chain of custody of ballot papers from the polling stations to the counting centres, and from the counting centres to the Supreme Court where the ballot papers are retained in safe custody for six months and then subsequently destroyed. For transparency, the process is open to observation by candidates and their agents who are present.
Before the start of poll at 8 am
Before start of the poll, election officials will show to the candidates and polling agents present at the ordinary polling station that the ballot boxes and their covers are empty before sealing the boxes. Ballot boxes are sealed before the start of the poll in such a way that ballot papers cannot be taken out without having to break the tamper-proof seals. The sealing of the ballot boxes starts 10 minutes before the poll opens.
After the close of poll at 8 pm
At the end of poll, the slits through which marked ballot papers are dropped into the ballot boxes are sealed to ensure that nothing else can be dropped into them. Candidates and their polling agents may affix their seals or sign on the ballot boxes after the election officials have completed sealing of the ballot boxes at the close of the poll. Candidates and their polling agents may also observe the process to transport the sealed ballot boxes from the polling stations to the counting centres.
Counting of votes
At the counting centre, Candidates and counting agents who are present will be invited to inspect the ballot boxes before they are opened for counting. When the ballot boxes are opened, the Returning Officer and his counting assistants shall pour the ballot papers out of the boxes onto the counting table. All the ballot papers will then be mixed together before sorting begins. The Returning Officer and his staff, while counting the votes, will take all precautions for preventing any person from seeing the numbers printed on the back of the ballot papers.
After announcement of election result
After the election result has been announced by the Returning Officer, the ballot papers and other official documents used in the election are placed into separate boxes and sealed. This process is witnessed by candidates and their counting agents who are present, and they may also place their own seals on these boxes. These boxes are then conveyed by Police escort and retained in safe custody for 6 months at the Supreme Court. After 6 months, they are destroyed by incineration, unless directed otherwise by order of the President.
Ballot Paper Serial Number
The serial number on the ballot paper is to protect the integrity of the electoral process. It enables accounting of all ballot papers issued and cast,
and guards against counterfeiting and voter impersonation.
When the ballot paper is issued, the voter serial number is written on the ballot paper counterfoil to facilitate vote tracing if necessary. This is allowed only
if there is an order from the Court arising from an election petition, and the Court must be satisfied that votes have been fraudulently cast thus affecting the result of the election.
Calling out the voter serial number and voter’s name allows voters to acknowledge that the Presiding Officer has identified the right name and makes the proceedings more transparent
to polling agents who are representing their candidates to observe the proceedings.