Thiruvananthapuram: Ahead of the vote counting for the 18th Lok Sabha elections, the strong rooms where the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been kept will be opened at 5.30 am tomorrow, an earlier start compared to the previous 7.30 am opening time.
The counting process will commence with the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballots (ETPB) and postal votes cast by voters at their homes. Then, the votes polled in the EVMs will begin within the next half hour. Before the counting starts, the EVMs will be inspected in the presence of counting agents, and the counting supervisor will ensure they have not been tampered with and break open the seal.

After each round of EVM counting, the observer appointed by the Election Commission of India will select any two EVMs and tally the count once again to verify the accuracy. Following this process, the votes will be tabulated, and the Returning Officer will declare and document the results of that round.
The verification of VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) slips will occur only after all EVM votes have been counted in all rounds. VVPAT slips will be counted in five randomly selected polling stations in each assembly segment. It is estimated that verifying VVPAT slips for one machine will take at least an hour. The declaration of final results will follow this.