Electoral Rolls & EPIC Management System(ERMS)

Saleem Khan Technical Director, NIC*

IntroductionName of the ProjectJ&K Electoral Rolls and EPIC Management SystemUser DepartmentChief Electoral Officer, Jammu and KashmirState Level AgencyNIC J&KLanguageEnglish / Urdu / HindiURL of the Websitehttp://ceojk.nic.in*

Basic DetailsParliamentary Constituencies -6Assembly Constituencies -87Districts-22Tehsils-82Polling Stations-9460Registered Electors (15.05.13)-68,31,447EPIC Card Holders (15.05.13)-58,79,272EPIC Coverage (15.05.13)-86.06%*

Major ObjectivesHosting of ERMS Application and database at the NIC Data Centre (4 TB SAN Storage)On-line Filing and Tracking of Voter applications Monitoring by the EROs, DEOs, the CEO and the ECIAuthentication by means of Digital Signatures of EROHistory/ Log of the entire workflowTotal transparency Integration of Textual Data with Electors ImagesNational Voter Search National de-Duplication *

ProcessesDigitization of Form 6 - for addition of new voter, Form 7 - for objection on inclusions and deletions, Form 8 - for corrections / modifications and Form 8A - for transposition within AC. Keeping track of every citizens application /claim. Data transfer or uploading to centralized database location.De-duplication and searching of data/ record.Assignment of work to enquiry officers (by ERO) for received applications / claims for each part in each AC.Processing of application (by ERO) after reporting of enquiry officers (acceptance/ rejection/ further clarification).Integration of Mother Rolls with Supplementary Rolls.Printing of a Parts header page, electoral roll and MIS reports. Conversion of photographs from picture format to binary format and merging with alphanumerical data.Printing of Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC).*

Salient FeaturesClaims and ObjectionsContinuous Updation - Digitization of Electors claims as soon as receivedE-Filing of claims / objections and their Online TrackingChanges in E-Rolls authenticated by ERO using Digital SignaturesComplete History/ Log of the entire workflow from filing to disposalMIS Reports/ Screens for EROs, DEOs, the CEO and the ECIElectoral RollsElectoral Rolls in Urdu and English (for entire state) and in Hindi (for 5 districts)Being available on the official website, Rolls are easy to obtain and read / understand. Photo-Electoral rolls to help in elimination of impersonation during voting.Name based and EPIC No. based search in the Rolls Online generation of family wise Rolls extracts in Urdu, English and HindiAlphabetically sorted Electoral Rolls at the time of polling Computerized Voter Slips at the time of Elections Electors Photo Identity CardsSo far, 56 Lakh bi-lingual EPIC cards have already been distributed. Centralized Auto generation of unique EPIC number in order to curb fake card productionCapturing/ storing/ automatic indexing the electors photographs and linking with textual dataThe software enables auto-Detection of logical data errorsIt is for the first time that such large-scale use of Urdu for data entry and report generation has been carried out anywhere in India. National Voter Search National de-Duplication *

Status of ImplementationOnline ERMS Application and database at NIC Data CentreSystem users are the CEO, all District Election Officers, all Electoral and Assistant Electoral OfficersComputerized Electoral Rolls in Urdu & English (for the entire state) & in Hindi (for 5 districts) 56 Lakh bi-lingual EPIC cards have already been distributed covering 82% of the electorate

Web Interface Electoral Rolls http://ceojk.nic.in/ElectionPDF/Main.aspxName based and EPIC No. based Search http://ceojk.nic.in/efiling/main.aspxE-Filing of Claims and Objections http://ceojk.nic.in/eFiling/addvoters.aspxClaims and Objections tracking http://ceojk.nic.in/claimforms/frmformsdisplay.aspxCitizens Grievances http://eci-citizenservices.nic.in

Mobile (SMS) Interface (Number: 919211728083)Where am I (in Electoral Rolls)? JKERM STATUS 10-character-EPICWho is my Booth Level Officer? JKERM BLO 10-character-EPICWhere is my Polling Station? JKERM PS 10-character-EPICIs the EPIC Number valid? - JKERM VALID 10-character-EPICGet Help about different SMS based services - JKERM HELP

Automated processes during ElectionsRandomization of Polling Parties Randomization of Electronic Voting MachinesSMS based Communication Plan for Poll-day MonitoringWebcastingCandidates Information onlineAffidavits HostingResults Processing

Problems FacedMaintaining control over Data Multiple versions, scope for manipulationEnsuring easy availability of Electoral Rolls without personal contactProviding a common interface to public for lodging grievancesNo tracking mechanism for Elector claims and objections Fixing responsibility for errors/ omissions Good quality MISPeculiarities of Urdu Language and Font Achieving standardization in RDBMS, data structures, user interface, report formatsDisconnect between EPIC Database and Rolls DatabaseErrors in Transliteration (due to inherent differences in languages)Removal of Errors / Duplications and ensuring fidelity of RollsCountering Voter Apathy Improving Gender RatioNetting the Young ElectorsIncluding homeless, migrants, NRI, transgender, disabled and sex workersFine-tuning the Elector-Population Ratio as per the National averageReaching the target of 100% EPIC coveragePreventing impersonation during voting

Overcoming the ChallengesCentralized ERMS preventing multiple versions and scope for manipulationOnline Electoral Rolls in downloadable PDF format ensuring transparencyPublic Grievance mechanism online at http://eci-citizenservices.nic.inOnline and via SMS Tracking of Electors claims and objectionsAll changes to be authenticated by use of DSC by the EROsNastaleeq Font with Unicode storage MS SQL RDBMS and ECI approved data structures, user interface, report formats etc.Integration between EPIC Database and Rolls DatabaseContinuous Improvement in Transliteration Dictionary De-duplication and inbuilt checks for preventing junk data entrySystematic Voter Education for Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Celebrating 25th January as Voters DayBooth Level Agents of political partiesEnrolment in educational institutions Newspaper Ads, TV tickers, BrochuresDeploying Designated Photography Locations (DPL)Webcasting of polling in Hypersensitive polling stationsSMS based poll-day monitoringPhotographing and then analysing with IT tools the voters facesNational / State-wide database of EVM with randomization functionRandomization of polling parties

Capacity BuildingTraining at IIDEM under ECICreating Master TrainersTraining Programs for ERO/ AERORules and ProceduresUsing the ICT ApplicationsTraining to Booth Level OfficersFilms/ Videos/ Case StudiesSpreading awareness through

*Database StructureElectoral Rolls are computerized i.e. maintained in a relational database organized into tables prescribed by ECIDatabase is stored in two set of tables:

Control Table (Master Tables) - Defines relationship between Electoral units such as Parliamentary constituencies, Assembly Constituencies, Parts, Sections and administrative unitsElector Details Table Provides details of the electors

Database is updated during every revision process

*Control TablesDetails in Control tables are required:For printing details on the Part headerFor data integration of database of all electors in the StatePrepare the Draft Rolls in PDF formatIf the control tables are not filled in a timely manner and correctly, then all the pains taken by EROs to ensure the enrollment of eligible persons would be wastedIt is very important to prepare control tables with extreme care and diligence so that the Electoral Rolls are properly generated

*The Control tables are entered once and used multiple times for roll preparation. An error in control table can magnify multiple times, so utmost care has to be taken while preparing control tables.

DEOs /EROs are responsible for collection of this data from the field.

DEOs/ EROs supervise the data entry by data entry operators

State Level Agency (SLA) provides the technical support

Control Tables

*Election SystemParliamentary ConstituenciesAssembly ConstituenciesPartsPolling Stations Polling Station BuildingsSections*

*Revenue HierarchyDivisionsDistrictsSub-DivisionsTehsilsRIs / Kanungo CirclesPatwari CirclesVillages*

*Rural Dev. HierarchyBlocksPanchayatsVillages Reserved Forest

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*Urban Dev. HierarchyTownsNagar Nigam(Municipal Corporation)Nagar Palika(Municipality)Nagar Panchayat(City Council)WardsMetros*

*Misc. UnitsPolice StationsPost Offices *

*Points to RememberEach AC is linked with one PC onlyEach Part is linked with one AC onlyEach Section is linked with one Part onlyA Part can have multiple Polling StationsMultiple Polling Stations can be located in one PS BuildingThe relationship between each unit in each different system is one-to-many OR many-to-one.Eg. One PC can have multiple AC, but AC can have only one PC

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*Linking ACs with PCs*DISTRICT 1DISTRICT 2BOUNDARIES LEGENDSDISTRICT12435689712345PCACPART

*Linking ACs with Districts*DISTRICT 1DISTRICT 2BOUNDARIESACDISTRICTPART124356897

*Linking AC with Districts*DISTRICT 1DISTRICT 2BOUNDARIES LEGENDSDISTRICT12435689712345PCACPART

*Types of RevisionThere are four kinds of revision :-Intensive RevisionSummary Revision*Partly Intensive and Partly Summary, Special Summary Revision.

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*ELECTORAL ROLL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SOFTWARE) The ERMS (Electoral Roll Management System) will cover the entire process of Electoral Roll preparation for the state from Electoral Roll Revision data management to final Electoral Roll publishing.

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*Understanding ERMS Modules(Core Components)*

*Architecture of ERMS*Electoral RollControl Table Uploaded Form 7,8 & 8AForm 6Bulk ExportManaging Electoral Roll that includes insertion, deletion, updating and transposition within AC. And printing of Electoral Roll including one or multiple supplementary list.State LevelSystemEROBLOsDoor to door verificationElectorsLocal Machine= Database

*Component Description (Modules)Admin Module ( For managing users )Intensive / Summary Revision Data Upload ApplicationERO / AERO ApplicationIntegration and Roll Printing ApplicationElectors Photo Identity Card Preparation and Printing ApplicationSearching Module (Web/Mobile based)Control Table Management Module

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*Summary Revision Data UploadAn application used to Add, Delete and Update the Electoral Roll. This application is supported by 4 prescribed formats : -Form 6 - For inclusion of name in Electoral RollForm 7 - For objection to inclusion of name in Electoral RollForm 8 - Application for objection to particulars entered in Electoral RollForm 8A - Application for transposition of entry in Electoral Roll. (Within AC)Form 6A NRI Applications

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*Data Entry and Data Security List of amendments are entered into a database using a software provided by NIC during every revision

Data is entered with utmost care ensuring error free entries as it will be published as Rolls later

ERO ensures that manuscripts of additions, deletions and corrections are entered timely and correctly

BLO goes through checklists and certifies that correct data is entered in the database after the corrections made by ERO in the Roll

*All forms received on paper must be computerized immediately and data uploaded on CEOs serverProcessing of data should start only after it is uploaded on the ServerFull data base security at server level is essentialData is uploaded on a database separate from electoral data base. It may be called uploaded data baseData is shifted from uploaded to electoral database only after full enquiry and approval by ERO with digital signature authentication by EROData Entry and Data Security

*ERO / AERO ApplicationThis application is for the Elector Registration Officer to approve revisions made through Summary Revision Data Upload Application.Roles of EROAssign Enquiry Officer for each parts of the AC for each type of forms received i.e., Form6, Form7, Form8, Form8A. After BLO verification, this application is used for either approving / rejecting cases.Updating records in the main database of electoral roll. *

*Integration and Roll PrintingThis software is used for integration of electoral roll that means for merging Mother Roll and one or more supplementaries*.For the printing Electoral Roll ( Part wise ) with or without photos.Printing of Part Header Page with Control Table Units* Note : Supplementary List means new additions, modifications and deletions in the roll.

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*EPIC Preparation and PrintingERO can create EPIC for Electors using this application. The main functionalities of this application are : -To cross check and verify the data available at the server for EPIC generationAfter verification of data the EPIC can be generated for each elector in a pdf format.Provision to make duplicate EPIC.To generate MIS report on distribution.

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*ReportsReport on Statistical Analysis in Format 1 to 8 analyzing EP Ratio, Sex Ratio, Age Cohorts etcReport on number of claims and objections received in Form 6, 6A, 7, 8 and 8A and percentage of claims and objections acceptedReport on deletions giving deletions based on Form 7 and suo-moto deletions separatelyReport on number of inclusions, deletions and net increase in number of Electors

Major Recent InitiativesOnline Repository for Electronic Voting Machines (EVM)All India Database of EVMs maintained by the ECIData entry completed for Jammu and KashmirState, district and ware-house wise inventory of Ballot Units (BU) and Control Units (CU)De-duplication and avoidance of conflictsWorkflow for Intra-district, Intra-state and Inter-state transfer of BU and CU on demandFirst-level check (working status) by vendorsSecond-level check (Randomization) of EVM for deployment

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Major Recent InitiativesPublic Grievance MonitoringPublic Grievance and Citizen Services portal of ECI at http://164.100.34/138/pgr and http://164.100.34.138/publiccomplaints

CEO, DEO, ERO, AERO, RO, ARO and BLO usersEstablishment of Call Centers at the levels of CEO and DEOMarking/ forwarding of applicationDeadlines for redressalSMS generationPhone numbers to be mapped to 1950 (Toll Free) *

*PGR SERVER

AGGRIEVEDPEOPLESINGLE DISTRICT/MULTI- AC COMPLAINTS

DEOSINGLE AC COMPLAINTS

ERO/RO

SINGLE STATE/MULTI DISTRICT COMPLAINTS

CEO

NATIONAL / MULTI-STATE COMPLAINTS

*When a complaint is received, concerned officer based on the subject takes necessary action.Officer may manually forward a complaint to next lower hierarchical level (if available) for necessary action.In case of Multi-Level complaints, the final decision will be taken by the next higher level officer of the selected complaint level.

Fax

Phone Call

Letter

SMS

Personal Meeting Complainant can know status of his complaint on Public Website and through Call Centre.

COMPLAINT FORWARDINGComplaints from various sources except Public Website and Toll Free No. are entered into the system manually and auto forwarded to the concerned officer with an SMS according to the level chosen by the complainant.All users at each level have their own system account for processing complaints.COMPLAINT LODGED DIRECTLY TO CONCERNED OFFICER23Satisfaction Response for the Action Taken by the officer is confirmed by personal phone call and by Call Centre till the complete disposal of complaint.4An aggrieved person can lodge a complaint through various channels such as Toll Free No, Public Website, Letter, Fax, Personal Meeting, Phone Call and SMS to concerned officer.15For each complaint, a unique Complaint ID via SMS is sent on complainants registered mobile/cell phone no. for tracking purpose.

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COMPLAINT LEVELS & CONTROLLING OFFICER

ECIPUBLIC GRIEVANCE REDRESSALELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA

FaxPublic Website

AGGRIEVEDPEOPLEAGGRIEVEDPEOPLE

Future PlansSMS based Poll MonitoringTested successfully in Last Vidhan Sabha Polls in Bihar etc.An Event based management system from the time of dispatch till the time of deposition of election material SMS gateway obtained through NIC. 9212357123 is the virtual destination number that ECI has purchased from NIC to receive messages from all over India.TRAI has allowed bulk SMS for this purposeEvery functionary CEO, DEO, RO, ARO, PO made system user by means of their mobile numberPre-poll, Actual Poll and Post-poll process monitoring by means of SMS generated in pre-defined formatsSMS can be sent directly or through the System WebsiteAuto-reminders for defaulters to send reports within the set Time LimitsStatus update enables fast decision making whether the event is sudden or expected

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Future PlansWebcasting of Poll process Tested successfully in Last Vidhan Sabha Polls in a few constituenciesTo keep a check on illegal activities such as booth capturing, money distribution and bogus voting to bringing about complete transparency.To broadcast and monitor LIVE, the election process from a distant polling station.To spread awareness to participate in Free and Fair Elections.Laptop/ Desktop, Webcam, Network connection and a Chat Client / Free software/ 3rd party messenger are all that is required.Prevention of malpractices by election officialsEliminating impersonation Live broadcast enables timely decision and action

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ERMS CellWhat you will need?Civil/ Electrical works (if required). Basically the room should be neat and clean, dust and seepage free and there should be adequate power sockets to connect the equipmentEarthing should be proper in order to prevent high leakage current.Desktops/ Laptops - About 1 per ACPeripherals 1-2 Printers, One Scanner etc.Stable Power Supply One UPS 2/3/5 KVA. The supply to sockets should be through this UPSServo Stabilizer (AVR &Manual) - 7-8 KVA for 5 KVA UPS; 5 KVA for 2-3 KVA UPSDG Set - 10 KVAAdequate Furniture for Computer CentreConnectivity NICNET (wherever feasible)Consumables Toners, Stationery, Pen DrivesTechnical Manpower Data Entry StaffTelephone Line Dedicated for 1950 (Only at District HQ)*

Stakeholders ResponsibilitiesElection Department

Procurement/ purchase of Computers, Printers, Scanners, UPS, DG SetLAN Material (Cables, Switches, Routers), Care and upkeep of all tangible items, Consumables (Toner Cartridges, Stationery)Data Entry for Continuous UpdationDisposal of Claims/ Objections Printing / Scanning on small scale Public Grievance Redressal / MonitoringUpdation of ERMS Control TablesUpdation of PGR/ PSL Control TablesPrepare and provide content (soft copy) for CEOs websiteCEOs Portal updationData Entry for EVM database

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Stakeholders ResponsibilitiesNIC (SLA) State Unit and District Offices

Support for Database Storage and ManagementSoftware Development and DeploymentSoftware Customization as per user needsTroubleshooting except Hardware maintenanceCoordination with vendors for Equipment maintenanceBandwidth provisionVideo Conferencing facilitiesTraining (faculty only)Networking Support and Technical Guidance/ Consultancy

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Stakeholders Responsibilities*Third Party Vendors

Bulk Data EntryBulk PrintingManaging the DPL (Designated Photography Locations)Photo scanning/ cropping/ cleaning/ compression, grayscale conversionForm001B printingImage integration with E-Rolls database Card Production (printing, hologram, lamination etc.)

Important Website URLs

Election Commission of Indiahttp://eci.nic.in

Chief Electoral Officer, J&Khttp://ceojk.nic.in

Polling Station Location Mapping Datahttp://164.100.34.138/psleci (for viewing only)http://164.100.34.138/psl (for data upload)

Public Grievance Redressal SystemOption 1: Go to eci.nic.in and click on Online ComplaintsOption 2: http://164.100.34.138/CS

Contact DetailsSaleem Khan, Scientist E & Technical Director0191-2546672, 0194-2474116+91-9419123923saleem.khan@nic.inBaiju Ubbot, Scientist B0191-2546672+91-9419151650baiju.ubbot@nic.inElection Commission of Indiaecitechsupport@gmail.comEVM --> Sh. Abhishek Sharma (09810286385)PGR --> Sh. Manish Kumar (09350980259) and Sh. Bikash Kumar (09873446557)MS(Expenditure Monitoring) --> Sh. Amit Gautam (09210061687) and Sh. Rohit Chhabra (09873339975)

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*Thanks

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