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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
EC launches new system for faster, accurate voter turnout reporting
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced a new, technology-based system to provide real-time updates on approximate voter turnout trends, aimed at reducing the delays associated with the earlier manual reporting process. In a press statement, the poll body emphasised that the move aligns with the Commission's commitment to timely public communication — a priority frequently highlighted by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Under Rule 49S of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, Presiding Officers (PROs) are still required to submit Form 17C, which contains the account of votes recorded, to the polling agents nominated by candidates at the close of polling. 'While this legal requirement remains unchanged, the process of updating the VTR app, which had evolved as a facilitative, non-statutory mechanism to keep the public informed of the approximate voter turnout percentage trends, is being streamlined to ensure faster updation,' the Election Commission said. ECINET app to reduce time lag Under the new system, each Presiding Officer at every polling station will enter voter turnout data into the new ECINET app every two hours on polling day. This change is expected to cut the time lag significantly, allowing data to be aggregated automatically at the constituency level. The approximate voting percentage trends will continue to be published at two-hour intervals, as before. Voter turnout data will now be entered into ECINET by the PROs immediately after the close of poll, before they leave the polling station. This will help ensure that the approximate percentage of votes polled is available on the updated VTR app at the constituency level right after polls close, subject to network connectivity. 'Where mobile networks are unavailable, entries can be made offline and synced once connectivity is restored. This updated VTR app will become an integral part of ECINET before the Bihar elections,' the poll body mentioned. Use of the new ECINET app * PROs will now enter voter turnout data directly into the ECINET app every two hours on polling day. * This data will be automatically aggregated at the constituency level and published every two hours. * PROs must enter final turnout data into ECINET immediately after polls close, before leaving the station. * ECINET allows offline data entry in areas with no network, which syncs once connectivity returns.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Election Commission announces new system for timely voter turnout reporting
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced a new system Tuesday to minimize the time lag associated with the earlier manual method, according to a press release issued by the poll body. The new system will reduce delays and increase transparency in the sharing of approximate voter turnout data during elections. People familiar with the development said the commission will implement the process during the upcoming Bihar elections through the ECINET application--a one-stop digital interface that aims to integrate more than 40 of ECI's existing mobile and web applications. The commission stated that the change was aimed at ensuring timely public communication via the Voter Turnout (VTR) App, though it emphasised that the data-sharing process is not backed by statute and functions purely as a facilitative measure. Also Read: Petitioners urge poll panel to refuse RS election nominations by AIADMK 'Under this new initiative, the presiding officer of each polling station will now be directly entering voter turnout on the new ECINET App every two hours on polling day to reduce the time lag in the updation of the approximate polling trends. This will be automatically aggregated at the constituency level. The approximate voting percentage trends will continue to be published every two hours before [reducing the time taken to update the exact voting percentage at a later stage],' the commission said in its release. The VTR App, built by the commission in 2019, is used to share aggregated approximate voter turnout data. Previously, sector magistrates or officers--each covering 10-12 polling stations--collected the voter turnout data manually and relayed it to Returning Officers, who are in charge of one or two constituencies and responsible for declaring elected candidates. This was done via phone calls, SMS, or messaging apps and the data was then aggregated every two hours and uploaded to the App. However, polling percentage trends were often updated hours later due to physical records arriving late at night or even the next day. Under the statutory framework of the Conduct of Elections Rules, the Presiding Officers are required to furnish Form 17C--which details the account of votes recorded--to booth-level agents nominated by political parties, who are present at the polling station at the close of polls. 'Notably, voter turnout data will now be entered into ECINET by Presiding Officers immediately after the close of poll, before they leave the polling station, which will reduce the delays and ensure that the updated approximate percentage of votes polled would be available...[however, the process is] subject to network connectivity. Where mobile networks are unavailable, entries can be made offline and synced once connectivity is restored', the poll watchdog said. The commission explained that after the polls, the safe depositing of EVMs and election papers in strongrooms is prioritised. Once complete, the returning officers will then collect voter turnout data from Presiding Officers of each polling booth and begin entering the close of poll data into the VTR App. '[In this process] the updated voter turnout starts continuously reflecting on the VTR App again from 7 pm onwards. [Also] polling teams come from varying distances and face different logistical challenges, such as late-hour voting trends, difficult geographical and weather conditions, communication issues, and tough terrain. As a result, voter turnout data is received at different times in the evening of polling day, sometimes overnight, and occasionally even the next day,' the commission had said.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Election Commission plans faster, more transparent turnout updates ahead of Bihar polls
Following criticism over past delays, the Election Commission has revamped its voter turnout reporting system. Presiding Officers will now directly enter turnout figures into the ECINET app every two hours on polling day, ensuring faster and more accurate updates. This revised process, to be implemented before the Bihar assembly elections, aims to reduce reporting delays and improve transparency. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Nearly a year after facing flak over delays in publishing voter turnout (VTR) data during the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission has overhauled its reporting system to ensure faster and more transparent the new mechanism, the Presiding Officer (PRO) at each polling station will now enter turnout figures directly into the ECINET app every two hours on polling day. The data will be automatically aggregated at the constituency level, allowing the EC to continue publishing approximate turnout trends every two hours, as earlier - but with greater accuracy and reduced revised process will be implemented ahead of the Bihar assembly elections scheduled later this year. A key change is that PROs will now enter the final turnout data into ECINET immediately after polls close, before leaving the polling station. This is expected to significantly reduce the reporting delay and make constituency-wise turnout data available promptly on the VTR app, subject to network areas with poor connectivity, offline entries will be synced once the network is restored. The updated VTR app will be integrated into ECINET ahead of the Bihar polls, the poll panel voter turnout data was collected manually by Sector Officers and shared with Returning Officers via calls, SMS, or messaging apps. This often led to delays of 4-5 hours - or more - before turnout trends could be published, contributing to confusion and misperceptions in some the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 (Rule 49S), Presiding Officers (PROs) are legally required to provide Form 17C -- a record of votes cast -- to polling agents at the close of voting. While this statutory provision remains unchanged, the ECI has overhauled the parallel, non-statutory system used to provide approximate voter turnout data through the VTR Commission reiterated that while the approximate trends shown in the VTR App are for public awareness, the official and final data will continue to be based on Form initiative is part of the ECI's ongoing commitment to timely public communication, a priority repeatedly highlighted by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
India Gazette
6 days ago
- General
- India Gazette
Election Commission to upgrade VTR sharing process to ensure timely updates
New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced to introduce a new technology-driven system to provide more timely and accurate updates on voter turnout trends. The initiative, called the Voter Turnout Ratio (VTR), will be integrated into the ECINET app and allow Presiding Officers (PROs) at each polling station to enter voter turnout data directly every two hours on polling day. 'Under this new initiative, the Presiding Officer (PRO) of each polling station, will now be directly entering voter turnout on the new ECINET App every two hours on polling day in order to reduce the time lag in the updation of the approximate polling trends. This will be automatically aggregated at the constituency level. The approximate voting percentage trends will continue to be published every two hours as before,' the ECI said in a statement. According to ECI, the new VTR sharing process reduces the time lag associated with earlier manual reporting methods. However, the legal requirement to detail the account of votes recorded by the polling agents remains unchanged. 'Under the statutory framework of Rule 49S of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, Presiding Officers (PROs) are required to furnish Form 17C, detailing the account of votes recorded, to polling agents, who are nominated by the candidates and are present at the polling station at the close of poll. While this legal requirement remains unchanged, the process of updating the VTR App, which had evolved as a facilitative, non-statutory mechanism to keep the public informed of the approximate voter turnout percentage trends is being streamlined to ensure faster updation,' the ECI said. The PROs will enter the voter turnout data into the ECINET app after the closing of poll, which would reduce the delays and ensure that approximate percentage of votes polled would be available on the updated VTR app constituency-wise. 'Where mobile networks are unavailable, entries can be made offline and synced once connectivity is restored. This updated VTR App will become an integral part of ECINET before the Bihar elections,' it said. Earlier, sector officers collected voter turnout data manually and passed it on to Returning Officers (ROs) via phone calls, SMS, or messaging apps. 'This information was aggregated every two hours and uploaded to the Voter Turnout (VTR) App. The polling percentage trends were often updated hours later, based on physical records arriving late in the night or even the next day, leading to delays of 4-5-hours or more leading to misperceptions by some,' it added. (ANI)
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Election Commission to introduce new system for timely & accurate updates on voter turnout trends
New Delhi:The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced to introduce a new technology-driven system to provide more timely and accurate updates on voter turnout trends. The initiative, called the Voter Turnout Ratio (VTR), will be integrated into the ECINET app and allow Presiding Officers (PROs) at each polling station to enter voter turnout data directly every two hours on polling day. "Under this new initiative, the Presiding Officer (PRO) of each polling station, will now be directly entering voter turnout on the new ECINET App every two hours on polling day in order to reduce the time lag in the updation of the approximate polling trends. This will be automatically aggregated at the constituency level. The approximate voting percentage trends will continue to be published every two hours as before," the ECI said in a statement. According to ECI, the new VTR sharing process reduces the time lag associated with earlier manual reporting methods. However, the legal requirement to detail the account of votes recorded by the polling agents remains unchanged. "Under the statutory framework of Rule 49S of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, Presiding Officers (PROs) are required to furnish Form 17C, detailing the account of votes recorded, to polling agents, who are nominated by the candidates and are present at the polling station at the close of poll. While this legal requirement remains unchanged, the process of updating the VTR App, which had evolved as a facilitative, non-statutory mechanism to keep the public informed of the approximate voter turnout percentage trends is being streamlined to ensure faster updation," the ECI said. The PROs will enter the voter turnout data into the ECINET app after the closing of poll, which would reduce the delays and ensure that approximate percentage of votes polled would be available on the updated VTR app constituency-wise. "Where mobile networks are unavailable, entries can be made offline and synced once connectivity is restored. This updated VTR App will become an integral part of ECINET before the Bihar elections," it said. Earlier, sector officers collected voter turnout data manually and passed it on to Returning Officers (ROs) via phone calls, SMS, or messaging apps. "This information was aggregated every two hours and uploaded to the Voter Turnout (VTR) App. The polling percentage trends were often updated hours later, based on physical records arriving late in the night or even the next day, leading to delays of 4-5-hours or more leading to misperceptions by some," it added.
