INEC card reader

INEC card reader, a device that was used for the Nigerian general election, held on March 28, 2015

The INEC card reader is a portable electronic voter authentication device, configured to only read the Permanent Voter Cards issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The card reader was designed specifically for the accreditation process, authentication of eligible voters before voting. The machine was configured to only read the PVCs of a particular polling unit and can only work on election day.

Operation

The device uses a cryptographic technology with an ultra-low power consumption and one core frequency of 1.2 GHz and uses Android 4.2.2. The device is position by its operator (usually a trained INEC official) to read the embedded chip on the PVC, this procedure displays the information of the voter, followed by fingerprinting. It usually takes about 10 to 20 seconds to validate a voter. On completion of accreditation process, a close V key is used to close the accreditation process and the total number of voters accredited can be previewed using a query key beside the close V key and thereafter, the result may be forwarded to INEC using the Communication key. The card reader was first used for the Nigeria's presidential election that was held on March 28, 2015.