SEC planning to test e-voting in GHMC elections

The State Election Commission has opted to make optimum usage of technology for smooth conduct of the elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Besides, facial recognition technology, the SEC is planning to pilot e-voting facility for senior citizens, differently-abled persons and polling staff.

SEC Commissioner C Parthasarathi said the Election Commission, in coordination with the State Information Technology and Communications department, was examining the feasibility for piloting the e-voting process in the forthcoming GHMC elections. He said it would be the first-of-its-kind and can be a role model for the entire country. The facial recognition technology also will be used in 150 polling stations (with at least one polling station from each ward) to easily identify the voters with the available data during the polling. During the previous GHMC elections, this technology was piloted in 10 polling stations to test accuracy.

During the conclusion of training



programme conducted for GHMC officials on Te-Poll software here on Tuesday, the SEC Commissioner said the usage of advanced technology in the forthcoming GHMC elections will enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability. He felt that the optimum usage of technology will help will ease process of polling from nomination to declaration of poll results smoothly. “With the advent of technology, voters can download voter slip, constituency and polling station-wise voter list, know polling station and obtain other information online within no time,” he added.

The SEC Commissioner said Te–Poll software will allow contesting candidates to view all the details online, besides reducing manpower working hours and ensures accuracy. He said the Te-Poll software training programme was aimed at training GHMC officials on election process management, polling personnel and counting personnel randamisation systems, election expenditure modules and others.