Chittagong: The port city saw ‘mock’ e-voting Friday in one of its wards to test Election Commission’s preparation for launching digital polling system in the June 17 Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) elections.

The mock voting through Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) started at 10 am and continued till 4 pm in eight centers of 21, Jamal Khan Ward.

Election Commission secretary Humaun Kabir told banglanews24.com.bd, “ We experimentally have begun the EVM system and the new system needs a wide range of exposure now.”

At least 14 experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) are supervising the digital voting system, he added.

One voter, Adv. Shawkat Hossain Chowdhury, said, “ This e-voting is much easier than the manual system. It needs no indelible ink. The total task can be completed with single key press.”

Replying to a question, Secretary Humaun Kabir said, “There is no way to cast vote more than once as the data-base system records all voters who cast their votes and who not.”

Earlier, 285 election officers were trained on the new e-voting system at the National primary school in Enayet Bazar in the Ctg city Thursday.

BDST: 1440, 11 June 2010
RGD/TA/SMS/MUA