Amid the EVM row, what happens to voting machines after the last vote is cast

A few days after the final vote in the Lok Sabha election was cast on May 19, a high-level opposition delegation met the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday to raise concerns about alleged tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs), while protests were held in some states.

The EC rejected all reports that EVMs had been manipulated. It said every EVM and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine had been properly sealed and kept in secure strongrooms. Nearly four million EVMs were used in this year’s election, in which voters cast their ballots over a five-week process.

From polling booth to strongroom

• At the end of polling for the day, the EVMs are sealed and polling agents sign on the seal.
• Escorted by central paramilitary forces, the machines are taken to strongrooms and kept there until counting day. This year, vehicles carrying reserve EVMs and VVPATs during the seven-phase election had to be fitted with GPS so their movement could be tracked.
• The strongrooms have power backup and CCTV cameras and are guarded round the clock. Polling agents may follow the machines to the strongroom while they are being moved.
• Candidates or their representatives can put their own seals on the strongroom doors, and the EC allows representatives to camp outside.

On counting day and after

• On counting day, which fell on Thursday this year, the EVMs are moved under heavy security to counting centres. The unique IDs of the seals and control units are shown to candidates’ representatives before counting begins.
• Once counting is over, the machines go back to the strongrooms for about 45 days so that any disputes over the machines or votes can be settled.

What happened next

Votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election were counted on 23 May 2019. The BJP won 303 of the 543 seats and the Congress 52, and Narendra Modi was sworn in for a second term as Prime Minister on 30 May 2019.

See also: elections

Originally published on 22 May 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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