About

• Polling Station is a place where the voter goes to cast his/her vote.
• A polling station may have one or more polling booths. It is the nerve centre and the beating heart of the election process.

How are polling booths set up?

• Under Section 25 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RPA), the District Election Officer (DEO) is assigned the responsibility to set up and publish the list of polling stations in their district.
• The list of polling stations undergoes verification and updation during annual electoral roll revisions. The draft list is prepared with input from local political parties and citizens, after finalisation with the Election Commission of India’s (ECI’s) approval.

Principles on the basis of which polling stations are set up 

• Each polling station should be atleast 20 sq m in area and serve at most 1,500 electors.
  • In cases where the number of electors exceeds 1,500, auxiliary polling stations are set up, preferably in the same building.
• Every village with over 300 voters is provided with a polling station.
  • However  in rugged terrain or remote ares a polling station can even cater to less than 300 voters. For instance, Arunachal Pradesh’s Malogam polling station caters to only a single voter.
• Voters should not have to travel more than two km to cast their vote.
• In urban areas, one building can have a maximum of four polling stations, whereas in rural areas, it can have at most two.
• Locations for polling stations are chosen carefully, preferably in government or semi-government institutions. Private buildings are avoided unless absolutely necessary. They can be requisitioned with the written consent of the owner, or forcefully under Section 160 of the RPA.

Layout and facilities requirements

• There should be a separate entrance and exit point for voters. If only one door is available a temporary fencing using bamboo and ropes must be used to separate entering abd exiting voters. 
• The voting compartment is constructed from opaque corrugated plastic sheet or steel grey flex board, measures at least 24 x 24 x 30 inches (length × width × height), and is  positioned away from windows or doors.
• To ensure smooth voting experiences and efficient polling personnel duties each polling station has Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF).
  • It includes adequate furniture, proper lighting arrangements, clear signage, and separate toilets for male and female voters.

• On the day of polling, there are separate queues for men and women voters,  with two women allowed to vote before each man. 
• There is a prohibition on any political propaganda, use of cameras, mobile phones, and canvassing within a 100 metre radius of the polling station, with a penalty of arrest without warrant under Section 130 of the RPA. 
• Candidates can set up their booths beyond 200 m of the polling station, and there are also restrictions on the use of loudspeakers.

Provisions for Persons with Disabilities (PwD)

• The ECI has strict norms to ensure that Persons with Disabilities ( 88.4 lakh registered to vote in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections)  can exercise their franchise easily
  • All polling stations must have a ramp with a maximum 1:12 gradient, and provide wheelchairs and designated parking spaces close to the station to PwD voters. 
  • They are also allowed to cast their vote without waiting in queues, with the ECI also providing transport facilities for voters with impaired mobility (such as PwD and senior citizens). 
  • PwDs can use ECI’s Saksham App to book wheelchairs, pick and drop service, get assistance at the polling booth, etc.
  • For the visually impaired, electronic voting machines (EVMs) and dummy ballot papers come with Braille facilities. Moreover, clear signages are used in the International Symbol of Access in blue and white to identify assistance counters, toilets, etc. quickly.

Who is permitted inside a polling station?

• Access to polling stations is restricted.
• These include registered electors, polling officers, candidates, one polling agent per candidate at a time, authorised media personnel, public servants on election duty, ECI-appointed observers, micro observers, videographers, photographers, and webcasting staff for critical/sensitive polling stations, a child in arms accompanying an elector, a person assisting a blind or infirm voter, and any others admitted by the Presiding Officer for voter identification or assistance purposes, whenever required.

Polling Party

• A polling party comprises a Presiding Officer and three Polling Officers. 
  • The first Polling Officer verifies the elector’s identity, 
  • The second applies indelible ink on their left index finger, maintains the voters’ register, and issues voter slips. 
  • The third Polling Officer takes back the voter slip issued by the second polling officer, manages the EVM’s control unit, and ensures that an elector has been properly inked before being allowed to vote.

• Sector Officers or Zonal Magistrates are appointed for around 10-12 polling stations to facilitate the link between polling staff and the Returning Officer. Micro 
• Observers are deployed in vulnerable areas to report any deviations. 
• Village Officers assist in identifying electors whenever required, and security personnel ensure the smooth conduct of elections.

Critical polling stations

• Critical polling stations are those where the Election Commission of India takes some extra measures to ensure the security and integrity of the voting process.
  • These include ones in vulnerable areas, areas with abnormal law & order situations, those with unusually high ( over 90%, with over 75% votes polled in favour of one candidate), or low ( under 10%) voter turnout rates. 
  • Polling stations where re-polling is held due to electoral offences, with instances of violence on polling day in the last five years, or with a disproportionate number of Absentee, Shifted, and Dead voters may also be deemed critical polling stations by the ECI.

• • In such stations, the ECI conducts pre-poll confidence building initiatives, gets regular feedback from candidates and intelligence agencies, legally binds identified trouble-mongers, and uses preventive detention under appropriate sections of law. 

• On the day of the poll, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and Micro Observers are deployed.

Source

• https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/expert-explains-india-polling-stations-work-9325944/