Guide to Polling Booth Officer Duties
PO 1 – Voter Verification Officer
Works with: Marked Copy of Electoral Roll (MC)
Key duties:
- Check voter’s “Booth Slip” + EPIC or other valid ID
- Verify name & serial number in MC
- Mark gender in red pen — Male: underline, Female: O, Third gender: ★
- Report Male/Female/Other count to PO every 2 hours
- Record count in Tally Sheet
- If EDC present, record at the end of MC
Don’t allow:
- Voter with only Booth Slip (no valid ID)
- Voter whose name isn’t in MC
- Postal Ballot (PB) marked voters
Also Read: Mock Poll Setup Guide
PO 2 – Register & Ink Officer
Works with: Register 17A (Voter Register)
Key duties:
- Write voter’s serial number from MC into 17A
- Record full EPIC number + last 4 digits of other docs
- Get voter’s signature or thumbprint
- Fill Voter Slip with serial number & name, hand it over
- Apply indelible ink — index finger (left hand) for regular voters, middle finger for proxy, index finger (right hand) for visually impaired assistants
- Ink must reach from nail tip to first knuckle
- At start/end of polling, record vote count and get signatures of PO + PO2 + agents
- If voter refuses to sign 17A → do not allow voting
PO 3 – Ballot & EVM Officer
Works with: Control Unit & Ballot Unit
Key duties:
- Confirm ink is properly applied on voter’s finger
- Collect Voter Slip from voter
- Press Ballot button on Control Unit to enable voting
- Wait for BEEP after voter votes — only then send voter out (most critical duty)
- Press Ballot button for next voter only after confirming previous vote registered
- Bundle Voter Slips in sets of 50