Dear Karnataka voters, here's a quick guide to voting

Bengaluru votes today. Here is some advice on how you can exercise your franchise.

Leave your phones behind when you go out to vote on Thursday. For the first time ever, the Election Commission has barred the use of mobile phones near polling stations.

The decision follows allegations of EVM (electronic voting machine) rigging.

Polling booths have no arrangement for voters to deposit phones, according to the district election officer. So remember not to carry your device.

Find your booth

- Go to electoralsearch.in or use Voter Helpline App to find polling booth.

- Call voter helpline 1950 (prefix STD code)

- SMS <ECIPS> space <EPIC No> to 1950

Voting process

- Polling official checks your name on voter list and your ID proof

- Another official inks your finger, gives you a slip and takes your signature on a register

- Deposit slip with the third polling official, show inked finger, proceed to the booth

- Vote by pressing button against the symbol of the candidate; you will hear a beep

- Check slip that appears in the transparent window of the VVPAT (Voter-verified paper audit trail) machine. The details are visible for 7 seconds before it drops in the sealed VVPAT box.

- Press NOTA (None of the Above) if you don’t like any candidate; it’s the last button on the EVM.

Documents

Election Commission allows 11 other documents, apart from electoral photo-identity card (EPIC), for identification of voters: passport, driving Licence, service ID cards with photograph issued by government and public sector companies, bank passbook with photo, PAN card, smart card issued by Registrar-General of India under National Population Register, MNREGA job card, insurance smart card issued under the Ministry of Labour, pension document with photo, official ID cards issued to MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and Aadhaar.