Inside Election Commission's vote-counting setup: Who sits at EVM tables?

Election Commission manuals lay down who can sit at vote counting tables and how they are assigned. The rules add randomisation, ID checks and movement curbs to keep counting transparent and secure.

In Short

• Each Assembly constituency has a Returning Officer overseeing EVM vote counting
• Every table has four officials, including supervisors, observer and support staff
• At least one table official and the micro observer come from Centre

The process of who sits at the counting table during vote counting has even reached the Supreme Court, but the Election Commission of India’s manuals and handbooks clearly define a tightly regulated structure.

For every Assembly constituency where votes recorded in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are counted, authorities appoint a Returning Officer to oversee the process. At each counting table, a four-member team carries out the counting in a coordinated manner.

The team includes a counting supervisor and an additional supervisor (counting assistant). At least one of these two officials must be a Central government employee. A micro observer forms the third member, while the fourth is a Group D Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) employee. The MTS staff assists in handling machines and documents, carrying and placing them as per instructions.

Outside the secured enclosure surrounding the counting table, authorised agents of all candidates remain present to observe the process.

The counting supervisor is typically a gazetted officer or an equivalent-ranked official. The additional supervisor must possess qualifications equivalent to a Group B officer. Authorities select both officials from the pool of polling personnel through a randomised process, assigning them to specific Assembly segments and counting tables without prior indication.

Officials issue photo identity cards embedded with QR codes to all personnel. A three-tier security system verifies these QR codes at each layer using scanning devices, alongside manual frisking and identity checks.

The micro observer is generally from the Central government, while the fourth member belongs to the Multi-Tasking Staff cadre. Authorities must appoint counting personnel as per the format prescribed in Annexure-35. The counting supervisor should preferably be a Group B gazetted officer or above, while the counting assistant should be a Group B or at least Group C officer from the Central or State government, or an equivalent official from government undertakings.

The Returning Officer must ensure that no one, except authorised officials such as the Returning Officer or Observer, carries a mobile phone inside the counting centre up to the counting table. Before counting begins, officials must verify the identity of all team members through the app-based database and their ID cards, followed by written authentication.

During the counting process, officials, staff, and authorised agents cannot leave the counting premises except in cases of medical emergency or for using the toilet.

- Ends