Polling and counting of votes

A voter uses the right by casting vote. Exam tip: remember voting right and polling together.

Name and election symbol help voters identify the right candidate. Exam tip: connect symbol with identification.

During polling, an eligible voter whose name is on the electoral roll casts a vote for a candidate of their choice. A counting officer counts votes after polling, so they do not cast votes as part of their official duty. Exam tip: distinguish between a voter, who votes, and a counting officer, who counts votes.

Votes are counted at the counting centre. Exam tip: connect counting centre with result process.

During polling, a voter casts a vote for the candidate of their choice from the candidates contesting in the constituency. The voter list is only a record of eligible voters, while a polling officer conducts the polling process; neither is chosen by the voter. Exam tip: the purpose of voting is to choose a representative.

Name in list and correct identity allow the voting process. Exam tip: remember eligibility plus identity.

Secret compartment keeps voter's choice private. Exam tip: connect secret compartment with secret ballot.

Security of EVM is necessary for correct counting. Exam tip: connect vote security with counting.

Presence of representatives can increase transparency. Exam tip: remember counting transparency.

After all votes have been counted, the election result is declared on the basis of the votes received by each candidate, including the winning candidate. The nomination date and campaign slogan belong to earlier stages of an election, not to the stage after counting. Exam tip: remember the sequence—polling, counting, then result.

The winner is the one who gets the most votes. Exam tip: remember more votes means winner.

Voters must be protected from fear, threats, pressure and undue influence so that they can vote freely for the candidate of their choice. Identity verification and the voter list are necessary procedures for fair polling, so they are not things from which voters need protection. Exam tip: free and fair elections require fear-free voting.

A voter generally casts vote once in an election. Exam tip: remember one voter one vote.

Democratic voting should be based on free choice. Exam tip: understand free choice as the central idea.

A peaceful atmosphere helps safe and free polling. Exam tip: remember peaceful polling.

Transparent counting makes the result credible. Exam tip: connect transparency with credibility.

List shows eligibility and identity check confirms the person. Exam tip: remember eligibility and identity.

Security of votes makes correct counting possible. Exam tip: understand vote security and counting together.

An EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) is used at the polling station to record the vote cast by a voter for a candidate. Nomination papers are filed before polling, and electoral rolls are prepared separately; neither task is performed by an EVM. Exam tip: remember EVM as the machine that records votes during polling.

Counting establishes how many valid votes each candidate has received. The candidate with the highest number of valid votes is then declared the winner, making the final result clear and determining the elected representative. Revising electoral rolls and filing nominations are pre-election activities, not purposes of declaring the result. Exam tip: remember the sequence—nomination, campaign, polling, counting, and declaration of results.