How votes are counted in Tamil Nadu

1. Counting day opens the strong room.The sealed EVMs and postal ballots are brought from the strong room to the counting hall, with the candidates or their agents watching.
2. Postal ballots come first, from 8 am.They are counted at the Returning Officer's table. EVM counting begins at 8.30 am. ECI
3. EVMs are counted round by round.Each round, every counting table reads the result of one control unit; the round's totals are announced before the following round begins. Each candidate's counting agents watch the tables.
4. The second-last EVM round waits for the postal count.Since 25 September 2025, ECI's rule: the penultimate EVM round starts only after every postal ballot at the centre is counted. ECI
5. Five VVPATs per seat are matched.The paper slips of five polling stations picked at random in each Assembly seat are counted and checked against their EVMs, under the Supreme Court's order of 8 April 2019. Case summary
6. The Returning Officer declares the result.The winner receives the certificate of election. The booth-by-booth totals are recorded in Form 20, which is what this site's booth-wise results show.

Postal ballots were 1.06% of the votes. Fewest rounds: Harbour (14); most: Chengalpattu (40). In 117 of the 234 seats, the candidate who led the postal ballots did not win the seat. Closest result: Tiruppattur; see the closest and biggest margins.

What time does vote counting start?

Postal ballots are taken up at 8 am and EVMs at 8.30 am on counting day.

Are postal votes counted first?

Yes. Since 25 September 2025, the second-last round of EVM counting also waits until every postal ballot at the centre is counted.

How many VVPAT slips are counted?

Those of five polling stations picked at random in each Assembly seat, under the Supreme Court's order of 8 April 2019.

How were the April 2026 votes counted?

On 4 May 2026, in 14 to 40 EVM rounds a seat. 5,21,903 of the 4,93,24,121 votes counted (1.06%) were postal ballots.