handbook for presiding officers - Chief Electoral Officer, Govt. of Sikkim

11CHAPTER XI
7PREPARATION OF CONTROL UNIT
1. Checking of control unit
1.1 At the time of taking delivery of the control unit, you must carry out the checks
on the control unit as mentioned in para 2 of Chapter III.
1.2 You must also check that ‘Cand Set Section’ of the control unit is duly sealed
and the address tag is firmly attached thereto and that the battery installed in
that section is fully operational.
2. Preparation of control unit
2.1 Before the Electronic Voting Machine is delivered at the polling station certain
preparations are made therein at the Returning Officer’s level for the
installation of the battery and setting the number of contesting candidates in
the control unit. Before a control unit is put in use at the polling station, some
further preparations, apart from the preparations made at the Returning
Officer’s level, are necessary to be made by the Presiding Officer at the
polling station.
2.2 The preparations to be made on the control unit by the Presiding Officer are
as follows:-
(i) Interlinking the control unit with the Ballot Unit or the first Ballot Unit
where more Ballot Units than one are used; and linking the other ballot
units as explained above.;
(ii) switching the power switch to ‘ON’ position;
(iii) closing the rear compartment after performing the functions at (i) and
(ii) above;
(iv) conducting the mock poll (as explained in Chapter XII);
(v) clearing the machine after the mock poll and setting all counts to ZERO
(as explained in Chapter XII);
(vi) switching the power switch to ‘OFF’ position;
(vii) fixing the green paper seal(s) to secure the inner compartment of the
result section (as explained in Chapter XIII);
(viii) closing and sealing the inner door of the result compartment by fixing
the special tag (as explained in Chapter XIV) and
(ix) closing and sealing the outer cover of the result section with address
tag and strip seal (as explained in Chapter XIV)
3. Connecting the control unit and Ballot Unit
You should plug the interconnecting cable of the Ballot Unit or the first Ballot
Unit, where more Ballot Units than one are used, into the socket provided for the
purpose in the rear compartment of the control unit. While interlinking the control unit
with the Ballot Unit, you must take necessary precautions as mentioned in para 3 of
chapter X.