ISLAMABAD, Sept 22: The Election Commission (EC) has started dispatching election material to different parts of the country to ensure smooth and orderly conduct of general elections.
The material includes various items to be used in the polling process by returning officers, assistant returning officers, presiding and assistant presiding officers.
There are two bags alongwith two ballot boxes which are being sent to the returning officers for each polling station.
One is white and the other is a Khaki bag which consists of different inventory of material for national and provincial assembly polling.
The white bag consists of a small bag containing National Assembly ballot papers alongwith coded marking stamps, marking aid stamps, brass seals, indelible ink, inkpad, two copies of electoral rolls, register relating to magistrate powers, badges for polling staff, empty blue bag, forms and packets.
The main stationary items for each presiding officer includes 14 ballpoint pens, 20 sheets of paper, five sheets of carbon paper, packet of paper pins, one steel needle, one thread ball, one pasting gum bottle, four candles, four sealing wax, one match box, eight plastic scales, one black marker and 15 safety pins.
The presiding officers will also receive another khaki bag in which there will be another bag containing provincial assembly ballot papers.
The Election Commission will provide two ballot boxes of different colours for separate ballot papers for national and provincial assemblies.
The presiding officers will also receive placards and posters for the guidance of voters. These placards and posters will have instructions written on them like method to mark ballot paper, names and symbols of candidates, male polling booth, female polling booth, entrance, exit, presiding officer, assistant presiding officer, polling officer, polling agent and polling station.
The Election Commission has asked the presiding officers to meet the polling staff, which include assistant presiding officers and polling officers well before the polling begins and ensure that they have understood the rules and procedures for conducting elections.
At each polling station, the polling officer will check the National Identity Card and mark the electoral roll, the first assistant presiding officer will issue ballot paper for the National Assembly election while the second assistant presiding officer will issue the ballot paper for the provincial assembly election.
The presiding officers have also been advised by the Election Commission to ensure that all materials have been delivered to them by the returning officer or assistant returning officers.
They have been advised that if anything is missing, they should immediately contact their returning officer.
The commission has said the polling staff should go to their polling station a few days in advance and make sure that all arrangements have been completed.
The commission said all presiding officers should ensure that they had the keys of the building where polling stations would be established, and also see that their was electricity, water and toilets.—APP