Top 5 things to know about Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) before elections
The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is a high technological device introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2021 to promote credible elections and prevent rigging in Nigeria.
The device was built and programmed with high technology that makes is easier to register voters, accredits voters before voting on election day, transmitting election results to the INEC viewing portal after voting, helps to scan the barcode or QR code on the PVC or voter’s register before voting, among other things.
In this article, iBelieveAll Blog will highlights five (5) important things to know about Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of general elections in Nigeria.
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.
Like we stated here are top 5 things to know about Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) before elections:
1. The BVAS is a device used to register voters.
2. The BVAS accredits voters before voting on election day.
3. The BVAS is used for transmitting election results to the INEC viewing portal after voting.
4. It helps to scan the barcode or QR code on the PVC or voter’s register before voting.
5. BVAS doesn’t require Internet connectivity during voting. It only requires the Internet when transmitting election results to the INEC portal.
How to use BVAS machine on election day:
According to TechCity, 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:
1. 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.
2. 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 over-voting.*
3. 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.
4. 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.
5After 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).
