LAHORE: The voting through biometric machines during the NA-120 by-elections would be used only for testing purpose and it will have no impact on elections results, Pakistan Today has learnt on Friday.
By-elections for the NA 120 seat, which fell vacant after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, are scheduled for September 17.
Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had announced that around 30,000 voters will cast their vote through electronic voting machines which will be installed for testing purpose on different polling stations of the constituency. As per ECP notification at least 331,786 voters are registered in the NA-120 constituency.
Sources in the ECP told Pakistan Today that around 30,000 voters would cast their vote through electronic voting machines (EVM). They said that ECP has set to install 100 EVM in 21 polling stations of the constituency, where at least 30,000 voters are going to cast their votes.
The sources further said that the ECP, unlike before, will not consider the votes cast through EVM in final counting, so they will not make affect the final outcome. So these voters will also cast their votes through ballot papers in order to make them count.
He said that ECP will maintain the record of EVM and will review it later regarding the flaws of the system so it could be improved for the upcoming elections.
In reply to a question, he said that it would be hard to say if the ECP would be able to conduct next election through the EVM. “The system cannot be promulgated unless all the flaws are removed,” he said and added that the general elections of 2018 will be conducted through old ballot papers system.
