Representative image of a person casting a vote.
Credit: PTI Photo
Bihar will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, to elect 243 members of the Bihar legislative assembly. The counting will be done on November 14.
Now, with elections fast approaching, let us understand what are the different methods of casting your vote?
What are EVMs?
An EVM is a white box with blue buttons that enable a voter to pick a candidate of their choice in their constituency. The electronic device aids the voting process and has two units - Control and Balloting. The former lies with the Presiding Officer or a Polling Officer, while the latter is placed in the voting compartment.
Instead of issuing a ballot paper, the officer who is placed in charge of the Control unit releases a ballot by pressing the Ballot button on the Control unit. The two units are connected by a five-metre cable and once a ballot has been issued, voters can cast their vote by pressing the blue button on the Balloting unit.
A maximum of 2,000 votes can be recorded by an EVM.
What are postal ballots?
Postal ballot is a method of voting wherein people who are unable to cast their votes in person, cast their votes in mail.
It is useful for four categories of voters, including special voters (senior citizens, persons with disability), service voters, people on election duty and electors who are subjected to preventive detention.
Eligible voters submit an application to the Returning Officer (RO) of their respective constituency. The application contains personal details, voter identification information, and the reason for seeking a postal ballot. RO issues postal ballot if he/she deems the criteria fit.