Centres established to demonstrate EVM, VVPAT use to public

Ten process demonstration centres for Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) devices were opened across the city on Wednesday, ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.

These include the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Ripon Buildings complex, the Chennai Collectorate, the Guindy Revenue Divisional Office, and the zonal offices at Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Tiruvottiyur, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam, and Adyar.

According to a press release, the centres have been set up in line with the direction of the Election Commission of India to familiarise voters with the procedure for casting votes using EVMs and verifying the votes through VVPAT devices. The centres are intended to help members of the public understand the functioning of the machines through live demonstrations.

At the Ripon Buildings complex on Wednesday, voters participated in mock voting and verification exercises using the machines.

District Election Officer and Chennai Corporation Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran inspected the demonstration at the complex with officials.

The voter awareness drives would continue until the Election Commission of India formally announces the election schedule. After the announcement, awareness activities related to EVMs and VVPATs would be carried out only through electronic media, the release stated.