As Nigeria’s general elections inch closer than ever, concerns have risen over how the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Authentication System) will be used and how to verify that it has been used appropriately. A few conflicting reports have also made potential voters unsure of how it will be used.
The first thing to note about the BVAS is that it is like a tablet, but does not work with internet. Some pictures show that another model of the BVAS looks like a POS machine.
As shown in the pictures above, only Youth corpers will handle the machines on election day.
How to verify that the BVAS has worked or is working
The BVAS machine is not what you use to vote. It only verifies that you are a registered voter, that the PVC you came with is truly yours and that you actually showed up to vote. Sort of like electronic attendance, or clocking in at work. To know how the BVAS machine works, note the following:
- Your face or fingerprint will be scanned to fetch your information from INEC’s database. For BVAS machines that do not have cameras, your VIN will be entered or the code on your PVC will be scanned.
- A green light on the machine MUST appear for your accreditation to be complete before you go on to vote. It is important to not be in a hurry to do this accreditation because if the green light does not come up and you go ahead to vote, that may lead to overvoting.*
- If a green light does not appear the first time, try more carefully a second time because the BVAS only allows 3 trials after which one cannot get verified again.
- The BVAS machine must be set at 0000 as a sign that no-one has been accredited before the machine was brought to your polling unit. Early comers should note this.
- After voting, people are encouraged to wait behind to ensure that the results from their polling unit are counted, announced and uploaded to INEC portal (the only time internet will be used on the BVAS).
To make your time at the polling unit less stressful, go with little or no items except some water to stay hydrated, your smartphone, comfortable shoes, and stay very vigilant. It is also recommended that you have stuff like wipes, tissue and water around for less errors when fingerprints or facial scans are taken.
*Overvoting is when there are more votes recorded at a polling unit than the number of accredited voters. PUs where overvoting is recorded often have their results cancelled, so it is important to properly do your BVAS accreditation before going ahead to vote.