GUIDELINES FOR THE PRESIDING OFFICER

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POLLING TEAM

Presiding officer
Duties
Controlling the entire operations of the booth
Responsibilities
Maintain peace, law and order, Decide the adjournment of poll, Dealing the complex problems
such as disorderly conduct of an elector, maintenance of secrecy of voting at the polling station, handling
tendered and challenged votes and making corresponding entries in form 17-B and 14, keeping all the
polling materials and forms under his safe and own custody, dealing blind and infirm voters and obtaining
declarations from the companion when necessity arises ( form 14-A), controlling the 100 perimeter circle
from the polling station, preventing any elector being canvassed by others , obtaining declarations from
the under age suspected , inform the unusual happenings to the higher officials, Collecting the EDC
certificates from the government officials on election duty and most importantly maintaining up to date
entries in the presiding office diary.
Assistant Presiding officer ( Polling officer-1)
Duties
Assisting the Presiding officer in his work, maintenance of marked copy of the electoral roll,
maintain the hours poll strategy sheet(men and women count separately), Identification of elector and
directing an elector to the presiding officer on disputes, making necessary entries in their hours poll
strategy sheet so as to classify the voters as EPIC card voters and voters who have used other
documents prescribed by the election commission of India.
Responsibilities
Ensure that
Total men Voters count + Total Women voters count = Total entries in form 17-A( Register of Voters) .
Total EPIC voters count+ Non EPIC voters count = Total entries in form 17-A( Register of Voters).
Polling officer-2
Duties
Apply indelible ink in the fingers of the voter as applicable and directing an elector to the presiding officer
only on disputes and otherwise to polling officer 3. Marking down the serial number of the elector in Form
17-A (register of Voters), Obtain signature or thumb impression of the elector in Form 17-A, Making
relevant entries in voters slip and give it to an elector to proceed to Polling officer-3.
Responsibilities
Total entries in form 17-A Number of Voters violated the secrecy of voting (49-M) Number of voters
who have refused to vote ( 49-O) = Total votes polled in the voting machine.
Collecting the EDC certificates from the Government servants on election duty after making necessary
entries in form 17-A, so as to hand over the same to the Presiding officer.
Polling Officer-3
Duties
Press the ballot button once for an elector after having been received the voters slip; maintain the voters
slip in his safe custody and directing an elector to the presiding officer only on disputes and otherwise to
voting compartment.

Responsibilities
Responsible for the control unit,
Total entries in form 17-A Number of Voters violated the secrecy of voting (49-M) ,Number of voters
who have refused to vote ( 49-O) = Total votes polled in the voting machine.
Total votes polled in the voting machine=Number of voter slip received from the electors- Voter who have
turned not to vote after has signed in the register 17-A(49-O)
Regulating the voters to the voting compartment in the same order as they have signed in register of
Voters (form 17-A)
Pre poll day
1. Clearly explain the duties and responsibilities of your polling team and shuffle their duties incase
if the polling personal faces any inconvenience in the assigned duties.
2. Setting up the polling booth according to the Instructions and ensure proper lighting facility at the
voting compartment.
3. Conduct mock poll with the support of the polling team prepare your self free from any doubts
with respect to the operation of voting machine.
4. Clear the data and switch off the control unit.
5. Fill up address tags and special tags.
6. Cast your signatures in the strip seal, paper seal, address tags and special tags, Form 17-C
( after filling up simple entries), Presiding officer diary( after filling up simple entries),Mock poll
certificate 16 point observer report( after filling up simple entries) and Declarations forms before
and after the commencement of poll.
7. Mark the special tag number in a separate paper.
8. Place the distinguishing mark in all the address tags, special tags, strip seals, paper seals etc
9. Ensure proper seating arrangements to your polling team, Polling agents, Security personal and
paste necessary sign boards , guidelines that are supplied with the polling materials such as
Presiding Officer, Polling officer, Entry, Exit, Polling agent and other miscellaneous notice
specifying the area as required by the rule etc
10. Call all the polling agents to the polling station and give information about the conduct of mock
poll such as time of conduct of mock poll, reporting time for all the polling team and polling agents
for the conduct of mock poll ( should be exactly 6.00 am ) either directly or by mediator.
11. Make necessary arrangements for the first elector to cast his vote in the machine exactly at 7.00
am with the help of the village administrative officer or the person whomever available in the
polling station to help the polling team.
Poll day
Before the Start of real Poll
1. Convene a small meeting exactly at 6.00 am to all the persons assigned at your polling station
and clearly define their duties and responsibilities and seek their fullest co-operation in the
smooth orderly conduct of the poll. Collect their order appointment as polling agents. Verify them
thoroughly before proceeding further.
2. Conduct mock poll to the polling agents present at the polling station to
1. Gain their belief on voting machine.
2. Demonstrate that the voting machine is working properly and does not having any
fault.

3. Clear the data to make them know that the machine after the mock poll is free from
any stored data and now ready to conduct real poll.
3. Switch off the power of the control unit so as to prevent the accidental touch of fingers in any
button of the voting machine.
4. Allow the polling agents to note down control unit number, special tag number , strip seal number
and paper seal number. Finally Seal the result section of the control unit with special tag, strip
seal and paper seal and get the signatures of polling agents whoever is desirous to sign and
seal ( their own seal).Very importantly ensure the presiding officer signature in every said item
above (failing which will cause the machine to become suspicious on counting).
5. After the result section has been sealed fix address tag outside the result section compartment.
Allow polling agents whoever is desirous to sign and seal (their own seal).
6. Read the declarations form before the commencement of poll loudly in presence of the polling
agents and obtain their signatures.
7. Issue one entry pass for each polling agent and allow them to sit in their places. Allow the polling
team to sit in their places. At any time ensure only one polling agent per candidate should present
at the polling station.
8. Switch on the control unit to start the real polling process exactly at 7.00 am by allowing a first
elector to caste his/her vote in the machine. Close the power section of the control unit with the
easily removable twine.
While the polling is in progress
1. Maintain the presiding officer diary filled with up to date information
2. Frequent visit in and around the polling station to ensure smooth orderly conduct of the poll.
3. Deal problems with tendered votes, challenged votes, Vote by proxy voters and Vote by blind and
infirm voters.
4. Check total votes polled at an every hour interval and find them tally with total men and women
votes.
5. Monitor every person in the booth including electors on queue, police personal, polling agents
and polling officers.
6. Receive any observer, election officials whoever visits your polling station with due respect and
get their signature in the visit sheet without fail.
7. Have an eye over 100 perimeter circle and make a visit in and around the polling station
whenever possible.
Close of Poll
1. On reaching closing hour of poll or its proximity, the information should be sent through assistants
to the electors who have not yet turned to vote. The poll process should be stopped exactly at
5.00 pm. All the voters present at the polling station should be allowed to exercise their franchise
at the closing hour of poll. To ensure this pre printed sample slips should be issued to the electors
in queue such away that the last elector in a queue will receive fist slip and the first elector in a
queue will receive the last slip.
2. After all the electors have casted their votes the last elector (ie) the elector who has been issued
first slip should be made to wait for few seconds for doing the closing formalities. The rubber cap
covering the close button in the control unit should be unveiled and the last elector is allowed to
press the close button to close the poll formally. The close button may be pressed few more times
by the presiding officer for the confirmation and to ensure that the close button should be pressed
at least once ( The result button will not work without pressing the close button and this may

3.
4.
5.

6.

create problems while counting the votes). The rubber cap will be placed back again in its
position and the elector is now allowed to leave the polling station.
Remove the cable connecting the balloting unit and control unit. Open the power section of the
control unit and switch off the control unit.
Read the declaration (at the end of poll) loudly before the polling agents and put the control unit
and ballot units in their respective carrying cases.
Annex address tags (2 each) in the carrying cases and affix presiding officer seal in the address
tags of each carrying case. Allow any polling agents who are desirous to affix their seals in the
address tags of the carrying cases of control unit and ballot unit.
Prepare form 17-C along with duplicates and issue the duplicate copies to the polling agents
present at the polling station. Get their signatures in the original form 17-C, so as to submit it at
the collection centre.

Forms and covers

The Presiding officer should hand over the following 9 items at the collection centre.
1. Voting machine
- Ballot unit with two address tags sealed
- Control unit with two address tags sealed.
2. Cover containing account of votes recorded ( form 17-C) and paper seal account.
3. Cover containing declarations by the presiding officer
- Declaration before the commencement of poll
- Declaration after the close of poll
4. Cover containing the presiding officers diary.
5. Cover containing visit sheet.
6. First packet super scribed statutory covers containing 5 covers.
- Sealed cover containing the marked copy of the electoral roll.
- Sealed cover containing register of voters ( form 17-A)
- Sealed cover containing voters slips.
- Sealed cover containing unused tendered ballot papers.
- Sealed cover containing used ballot papers and the list in form 17-B( List of tendered votes)
7. Second packet super scribed non statutory covers containing 12 covers.
- Cover containing copy or copies of electoral roll( other than marked copy).
- Cover containing appointment letters of polling agents (form 10).
- Cover containing election duty certificate ( form 12-B)
- Sealed cover containing list of challenged votes( form 14) stopper
- Cover containing list of blind and infirm voters (form 14-A) and the declarations of their
companions.
- Cover containing declarations obtained from the electors about their age.
- Cover containing receipt book and cash if any in respect of challenged votes.
- Cover containing unused and damaged paper seals.
- Cover containing unused and damaged strip seals.
- Cover containing unused voters slips.
- Cover containing unused and damaged address tags and special tags.
8. Third packet containing seven items of election material
- The hand book of presiding officer.
- Manual of electronic voting machine.
- Indelible ink set ( with stopper having been secured on each phial with molten wax applied
thee on to prevent leakage or evaporation)

- Self inking pads.

- The Metal seal of the presiding officer.
- The arrow cross mark rubber stamp for marking tendered ballot papers.
- Cup for setting the indelible ink.
9. Fourth packet containing all the other items, if any.