Your guide to voting: A step-by-step journey on election-day

Next, the second officer will mark your nail with indelible ink, provide you with a slip, and then take your signature.

Hyderabad: Voting is a basic right and it is our responsibility to exercise our vote. On the voting day, when people go to a polling place, things happen in order, one step at a time, like following a plan.

Here is the procedure that you go through before you cast your vote.

---

Upon entering the polling station, you’ll encounter three polling officers, each with specific roles in the voting process. Firstly, the initial polling officer will verify your name in the voter list or electoral roll and check your ID proof.

Next, the second officer will mark your nail with indelible ink, provide you with a slip, and then take your signature.

Following this, proceed to the third polling officer and present the slip received earlier. The officer will verify the slip and the ink mark before permitting you to enter the polling booth.

Inside the booth, you’ll register your vote by pressing the ballot button corresponding to your candidate’s symbol on the electronic voting machine (EVM).

Upon pressing the button, a beep sound will be heard, accompanied by an immediate glowing tiny red light.

To confirm your vote, check the slip displayed in the VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machine. This slip remains visible through the VVPAT’s transparent window for 7 seconds and contains details such as the candidate’s serial number, name, and symbol before dropping into the box.