The counting of votes for the 234 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu is set for May 4, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) implementing a rigorous protocol to ensure transparency. The process begins at 8am with postal ballots, which include votes from around 3.36 lakh election officials, 18,000 service voters, and over 1.73 lakh senior citizens and persons with disabilities. A significant procedural change for the upcoming elections is that counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will only commence after all postal ballots have been counted. This new rule aims to prioritize the tallying of postal votes, which can be decisive in the election outcome. At 8:30am, EVM counting begins, with control units retrieved from secure storage monitored by CCTV. Each counting hall is equipped with 14 tables for processing votes, and results are announced after each round. The final verification includes a cross-check of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips from randomly selected polling stations against electronic results. This structured process aims to uphold the integrity of the electoral system, with nearly 85% of Tamil Nadu's 5.73 crore voters expected to participate.