Overturning a 2019 determination to elevate counts of mail-in voting and votes voted on EVMs, the Election Fee on Thursday modified the counting course of in order that EVM tallies are accomplished solely in any case mail-in voting has been counted.
“The penultimate spherical of the EVM/VVPATS rely is not going to be taken up till the counting of the mail poll is accomplished on the counting centre,” the EC mentioned in directions issued to the Chief Election Officers of all states and Union Territories. The choice was made “to additional streamline the counting course of and supply the readability wanted to rely mail-in ballots.”
For parliamentary districts, if votes are counted per council phase at a number of counting centres, the penultimate spherical of EVM/VVPAT rely doesn’t must be stopped in any respect counting centres till mail-in voting is counted. It will solely halt at centres the place mail-in voting counts are nonetheless in progress, it mentioned.
Sources mentioned the choice was made according to demand raised by political events. Opposition events are calling for this modification and are expressing concern {that a} shut election may very well be known as based mostly on the variety of mail-in votes rejected or enabled on the final second.
In the course of the 2024 Rok Sabah election, the India Bloc requested the EC to withdraw its 2019 order and withhold the penultimate spherical of the EVM rely till all mail-in ballots are counted. They alleged that the EC’s 2019 course was towards Rule 54A of the implementation of the 1961 election guidelines. Nevertheless, then-electoral commissioner Rajiv Kumar had rejected the request, saying that he couldn’t change the method halfway via the election.
DMK raised the problem lately, simply because it was on July seventeenth throughout its assembly with the voting panel.
Till 2019, the EC adopted the method of profitable the penultimate spherical of counting EVM votes solely in any case mail-in votes have been counted. On Might 18, 2019, the EC modified its procedures, citing a rise within the variety of mail-order votes.
“The penultimate spherical of an EVM rely ought to solely be featured after the completion of the mail-in voting rely. Due to this fact, as soon as the EVM rely is full, VVPAT slip rely may be began in keeping with the prescribed steps for counting VVPAT slips, whatever the stage of the mail-in voting rely.
On the time, the EC was citing a rise in mail-order voting as a result of introduction of an electronically despatched mail-in voting system (ETPBS). This despatched mail-in ballots electronically to voters slightly than mail. Nevertheless, stuffed votes will nonetheless be returned by mail. The EC mentioned the necessary requirement for studying ETPBS QR codes means it takes extra time to rely mail-in votes.
On Thursday, the EC mentioned it was altering its course of to “guarantee uniformity and most readability.” “In response to earlier directions, EVM counts might theoretically rule out the likelihood that they are going to full earlier than the completion of mail-in poll counting, whatever the stage of mail-in poll counting. VVPATS counts will solely be picked up after mail-in poll counting is full on the counting heart the place mail-in poll counting is going down,” the assertion mentioned. He mentioned mail-in voting counts start at 8am and EVM counts start at 8:30am.
In 2020, the EC expanded its voting facility to seniors and disabled individuals over the age of 80 via mail voting.
