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

(xx)
‘Ballot’ button and direct the next voter to proceed to the voting
compartment to record his vote.
In another eventuality, when the “Ballot” button on the control unit has
been pressed to release voting on the ballot unit and the last voter
refuses to vote, the Presiding Officer/third Polling Officer, whoever is
in-charge of the control unit shall put the ‘Power’ switch in the rear
compartment of the control unit to ‘OFF’ position and disconnect the
ballot unit(s) from the control unit. After disconnecting the ballot unit(s)
from the control unit the ‘Power’ switch should again be put ‘ON’. Now
the ‘Busy’ lamp will go off and the ‘Close’ button will become functional
to close the poll.
(xxi) After the signature or thumb impression of the elector has been
obtained on the Register of Voters and his left hand forefinger has
been marked with the indelible ink, he shall be issued a voter’s Slip (in
the prescribed form) showing the serial number at which the entry
relating to him has been made in the Register of voters.
(xxii) The electors shall be allowed to record their votes in the voting
machine on the basis of the Voters’ slips strictly in the same order in
which they have been entered in the register of voters.
(xxiii) If you consider an elector to be much below the minimum age of voting,
i.e., 18 years, but are otherwise satisfied about his identity and the fact
of inclusion of his name in the electoral roll, you should obtain a
declaration from him about his age, in the form of declaration in
Annexure X.
(xxiv) It is your foremost duty to go on recording the relevant events as and
when they occur in the Presiding Officer’s Diary.
(xxv) It may happen sometimes that you may have a suspicion or reason to
suspect that the ballot unit kept in the screened voting compartment is
not functioning properly or that an elector who has entered the voting
compartment is tampering with or otherwise interfering with the
balloting unit by inserting an object or fixing cello-tape or match stick or
chewing gum on the blue button or has remained inside the voting
compartment for unduly long period. You have a right under rule 49 to
enter the voting compartment in such cases and to take such steps as
may be considered necessary by you to ensure that the balloting unit is
not tampered with or interfered with in any way and that the poll
progresses smoothly and orderly. However, be careful that, whenever
you enter the voting compartment, do not enter the compartment alone.
You should permit and take one or two or more polling agents present
at the polling station to accompany you.
(xxvi) If any incident takes place at the polling station and is not reported by
you, but reported from any other source, the Commission may take a
serious view and initiate action against you.
(xxvii) You have to regulate the proceedings in the polling station for peaceful
and smooth conduct of poll. You require much tact for this purpose, but
at the same time you should be firm and impartial.