Election Commission rolls out Android app to monitor polls

Thiruvananthapuram: The Election commission has rolled out an Android app and SMS-based monitoring system to keep track of events at polling booths as Kerala goes to polls on May 16. The monitoring process will start a day before the polling day . Developed by Kerala State IT Mission (KSITM), the poll monitoring system can be used by the presiding officer and polling officers to report updates from polling stations, said KSITM director K Mohammed Y Safirulla.
The system is designed in such a way that officials can easily use the app to update critical actions such as when the poll party started & reached the venue, mock poll details, electronic voting machine sealed status, poll start, updates of number of votes cast every two hours, poll closure status, final poll count and material handover at collection centre.
KSITM will ensure the registration of polling officers. Along with poll kit, the officers will be given the mobile application (registered with a password) that is mapped to their respective polling stations, said KSITM technology expert Arun R.In case, there is no internet access at a polling booth, the message can be sent by SMS and polling officials only need to click and confirm, he said. In the first week of May , polling officials will receive training on using this system. The app will help officials to report incidents at polling booths, non-functional EVMs and track developments till polling is complete.