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As the country awaits the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the counting of postal ballots has come into the limelight once again. The counting of postal ballots begins first, followed by the counting of EVMs.
Speaking at a press conference a day before the election results, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the same process was followed in the 2019 and 2022 assembly elections. “Postal ballot counting will start first. After only half an hour, we will start EVM counting. There is no doubt about it. As soon as EVM counting gets over five random VVPAT counting begins,” Kumar said.
Here is everything you need to know about postal ballots and the voting process
What are postal ballots?
Postal ballots, also known as mail-in voting or vote-by-mail, have been a part of the electoral process for over a century. The concept involves distributing ballot papers to electors through postal services, allowing them to cast their votes from their homes.
During elections, postal voting can either be requested or limited to those who meet specific requirements, such as being unable to travel to a designated polling station. Many voters must submit an application for a postal vote, although some may automatically receive one.
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In certain elections, postal voting exclusively is permitted, known as all-postal voting. Apart from these instances, postal votes serve as a means of early voting and are akin to absentee ballots.
Who is eligible to vote through postal ballots?
Voters who are eligible to opt for vote through postal ballots include:
Absentee voters: Voters who are unable to vote in person due to reasons such as work commitments, illness, or disability. Senior citizens above 80 years are also included in this category.
Service voters: Members of the armed forces, paramilitary forces, and government employees deployed on election duty away from their home constituencies.
Electors under preventive detention: Individuals detained under preventive custody orders during the election period.
Electors on election duty: Government officials and polling staff assigned duties at polling stations other than their own.
Essential services covering election day activities: Media persons with authorisation letters from the Election Commission of India and those involved in essential services such as metros, railways, and healthcare can opt to vote using postal ballots.
Divyangjans: In October 2019, the Ministry of Law and Justice amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, lowered the age from 85 to 80 and allowed Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) to cast votes through postal ballots in the 2020 Delhi Assembly polls.
How to apply for postal ballots?
To apply for a postal ballot, eligible voters must submit Form 12 D to the returning officer (RO) of their respective constituency. The application typically requires personal details, voter identification information, and the reason for requesting a postal ballot. The RO verifies eligibility and issues the postal ballot if the criteria are met.
For service voters, the RO sends the postal ballot paper through the record office, either directly or through the Ministry of External Affairs for those serving outside India.
For senior citizens, a team consisting of two polling officials, a videographer, and security personnel will visit the elector’s residence to facilitate this process. Voters will be informed of the date and time of the officials' visit via SMS.
What is the process of postal voting?
Receiving the postal ballot: Upon approval, the returning officer dispatches the postal ballot to the voter’s registered address. This package includes the ballot paper, declaration form, secrecy sleeve, and a prepaid return envelope.
Marking the ballot: Voters mark their chosen candidate(s) on the ballot paper while it is within the secrecy sleeve to maintain confidentiality. They then complete the declaration form, including their signature and other necessary details.
Sealing the envelope: Voters seal the marked ballot paper and declaration form inside the secrecy sleeve and place it into the pre-paid return envelope.
Returning the postal ballot: Voters affix the postage stamp and mail the return envelope to the designated address within the specified time.
How are postal ballots counted?
According to Rule 54A of the Conduct of Elections Rules 1961, the counting of postal ballots begins at the Returning Officer’s table. Only those postal ballots received before the scheduled start time are considered. At the start, the RO must provide the total number of postal ballot papers to the Observer.
The RO must also explain and demonstrate the requirements of a valid declaration to all counting supervisors, assistants, and micro-observers before distributing the envelopes of the postal ballot papers to each counting table and before the actual scrutiny of the declaration by the counting supervisor.
“The RO shall ensure that there is no inordinate delay in scrutinising the declarations by the AROs and the counting supervisors. It said that all cases of postal ballot rejection on account of defects in Declaration in Form-13A should be re-verified by the Returning Officer before they are actually put in the rejected category,” the Election Commission instructions read.
What is the rule for counting postal ballots?
Until the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, postal ballots were counted 30 minutes prior to the commencement of EVM (electronic voting machine) counting. All postal ballots had to be fully counted before the EVM counting could conclude.
The Election Commission’s ‘Handbook for Counting Agents’ in February 2019 stated, “Under no circumstances, should the results of all the rounds of the EVM counting be announced before finalising the postal ballot counting.”
However, the Election Commission revised the guideline after the 2019 elections due to a significant increase in postal ballots following the introduction of the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) and the mandatory counting of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips from five randomly selected polling stations.
It withdrew its earlier guideline and directed all Chief Electoral Officers on May 18, 2019 that the EVM counting “can go on irrespective of the stage of postal ballot counting”.
Now, the postal ballot counting begins 30 minutes before the EVM counting, but does not have to be completed before the EVMs.
The Election Commission has also updated the rule regarding the recounting of postal ballots. Previously, postal ballots were recounted if the margin of victory was less than the total number of postal ballots. Now, postal ballots deemed invalid will be re-verified if the margin is less than the number of these rejected ballots.
