THE Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a significant upgrade to its voter turnout reporting process, introducing a streamlined, technology-driven system to provide faster and more accurate updates on approximate voter turnout trends.
This initiative, to be implemented before the upcoming Bihar elections, aims to reduce delays and enhance transparency in public communication, a priority emphasized by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Under the new system, Presiding Officers (PROs) at polling stations will directly input voter turnout data into the ECINET App every two hours on polling day. This replaces the earlier manual process, where Sector Officers collected data and relayed it to Returning Officers (ROs) via phone calls, SMS, or messaging apps, often leading to delays of 4–5 hours or more. The updated process will allow real-time aggregation of data at the constituency level, with approximate voting percentage trends published every two hours, as before.
The ECINET App also enables PROs to enter final voter turnout data immediately after polls close, before leaving the polling station, subject to network availability. In areas with limited connectivity, offline entries can be synced once connectivity is restored. This ensures that constituency-wise voter turnout percentages are available on the updated Voter Turnout (VTR) App shortly after polling ends, minimizing delays and addressing public misperceptions caused by late updates. The initiative aligns with the statutory framework of Rule 49S of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, which mandates Presiding Officers to provide Form 17C—detailing the account of votes recorded—to polling agents nominated by candidates at the close of polls
