Page 249 - Leap of Faith inside pages with cover (1)

Epilogue

elec on. The procedural certain es are hallmark of the The polling staff follows a discipline of the army. They are
Elec on Commission's func oning. The protocol for drawn from amongst the government employees,
conduc ng elec ons is methodical, predictable and whether Central or State. Their impar ality, efficiency
transparent with li le scope for going wrong. and dedica on in the line of duty was recognised during

Take for instance, the protocol perfected in respect of the the First General Elec ons itself. They have lived up to
assets like the EVMs and VVPAT units. Everything including that reputa on ever since. Many inspiring stories emerge
storage and transporta on, two-stage randomiza on out of every general elec on how they have crossed the
before being put into use for polling; safety of votes in case mountains, pierced through the jungles, walked tens of
of any malfunc oning; their being transported back to the miles on non-motorised pathway with loads of elec on
strong room and coun ng of votes is all procedure-bound. material, sailed across rivers and bays to set up polling
The instruc ons are so me culous that there is li le room booths in remote areas so that even a handful of voters
for arbitrariness or doubt. living there are not deprived of their right to vote.

National Conference on Accessible Elections, September 21, 2021, New Delhi, India

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