Kathmandu: With the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21, public interest has grown regarding the roles and responsibilities of polling officers to be deployed at polling stations. Addressing this, the Election Commission has clearly outlined the duties, responsibilities and powers of polling officers through official guidelines.

According to the ‘Voting Guidelines for Members of the House of Representatives, 2082’, polling officers must mandatorily participate in election-related training after their appointment. They are required to verify and fully understand all election materials before reporting to their assigned polling stations.

Coordination and Polling Station Management
The guidelines state that polling officers must coordinate closely with assistant polling officers, other election staff and security personnel. They are responsible for reaching the polling station on time, setting it up as per procedure and ensuring that voting can be conducted smoothly.

If voting cannot be carried out at the designated polling station due to security threats, geographical challenges or other valid reasons, polling officers are required to immediately inform the election officer and arrange an alternative polling station as per instructions.

Voter ID Distribution and Staff Deployment
Polling officers must ensure that voter ID cards are distributed before polling day by visiting the polling station. On the day of voting, they must assign duties to election employees and volunteers deployed at the polling station to ensure an orderly voting process.

Conducting and Monitoring Voting
The guidelines require polling officers to sign ballot papers before handing them to voters and continuously monitor the voting process to ensure it is conducted effectively and transparently. They must regularly update the election officer on voting activities throughout the polling day.

Polling officers are also responsible for briefing mobile teams, observers, journalists, monitors and security personnel about the voting situation and ensuring strict compliance with the election code of conduct. Any illegal or prohibited activities must be immediately prevented.

Handling of Ballot Boxes and Legal Authority
Before and after voting, polling officers must safely hand over sealed ballot boxes and other election materials to the election officer after obtaining proper receipts.

The directive further states that polling officers are empowered to exercise authority under the Election (Crimes and Punishments) Act, 2073 BS. They are duty-bound to conduct the election in a fair, impartial and independent manner, upholding the credibility of the electoral process.