New Delhi, June 3: In a major step toward improving transparency and reducing delays, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced a new, technology-driven system for faster and more accurate reporting of voter turnout trends.

In a statement, the Commission said the revamped process will significantly reduce the time lag caused by previous manual reporting methods.

The initiative is part of the ECI’s ongoing commitment to timely public communication, a priority repeatedly highlighted by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Under the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 (Rule 49S), Presiding Officers (PROs) are legally required to provide Form 17C -- a record of votes cast -- to polling agents at the close of voting. While this statutory provision remains unchanged, the ECI has overhauled the parallel, non-statutory system used to provide approximate voter turnout data through the Voter Turnout (VTR) App.

According to the new system, Presiding Officers will now directly input turnout figures into the ECINET app every two hours during polling day. After the close of the polls, final turnout figures will be entered at the polling station itself before the PROs depart.

Data will be automatically compiled and updated on the VTR App every two hours.

In areas with poor mobile connectivity, data can be entered offline and synced once the network is available.

Previously, voter turnout figures were relayed by Sector Officers to Returning Officers via phone calls, SMS, or messaging apps, and then uploaded to the VTR App. This often caused delays of up to 4-5 hours or more, with updates sometimes arriving only late at night or the following day. The ECI noted this created confusion and fuelled misperceptions among the public.

The new system, integrated into ECINET, will be rolled out ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections and is expected to make the voter turnout reporting process more efficient and accurate.

The Commission reiterated that while the approximate trends shown in the VTR App are for public awareness, the official and final data will continue to be based on Form 17C.

--IANS

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