The INEC card reader is a portable

electronic voting Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is voting that uses electronic means to either aid or take care of casting and counting ballots. Depending on the particular implementation, e-voting may use standalone ''electronic voting machines'' ( ...

authentication device configured to read only the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) issued by the

Independent National Electoral Commission The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was established in 1998 and is the electoral body which oversees elections in Nigeria. History Regulation and administration of elections The administration of democratic elections in Nige ...

(INEC) in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The card reader was designed for the accreditation process (authentication of eligible voters before voting). The machine was configured to read only the PVCs of a particular polling unit and can only work on

election day Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ar ...

Operation

The device uses a

cryptographic Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or '' -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adve ...

technology with an ultra-low power consumption and processing frequency of 1.2 GHz and uses Android 4.0.0

It is positioned by its operators (usually trained INEC officials) to read the embedded chip on the Personal Voter Card (PVC). This card is placed into the device, which then displays the

voter Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...

's details. The voter places their

thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

on the device, and their identity is confirmed through

Fingerprint authentication A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...

. It usually takes about 10 to 20 seconds to validate a voter.

On completion of accreditation process, a "Close V" key is used to complete the accreditation process and the total number of voters accredited can be previewed using a "Query" key. Afterwards, the result may be forwarded to INEC using the "Communication" key. The card reader was first used for Nigeria's presidential election held on March 28, 2015.

References

{{INEC Open hardware electronic devices Dedicated application electronic devices