An Overview of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and their Introduction in Indian Elections
EVM stands for Electronic Voting Machine. In India, voting is conducted through the Electronic Voting Machine. The system was developed by the Election Commission of India and was first tried in 1982 in the elections to Paravur assembly constituency in Kerala. Earlier Paper Ballots were used for elections but due to various disadvantages like transportation, time consumption, fake and fraud voting they were replaced by Electronic Voting Machines.
The importance of EVMs can be seen by comparing it with Paper Ballots. In India where the size of democracy is quite big, it becomes necessary to assure the voters that their one vote can make a meaningful difference to the voting results. It makes the electoral procedure quick, simple, fraud free and reliable.
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Evolution of EVMs in Indian Elections
EVM was introduced to replace paper ballots and was first used in Kerala’s Assembly Paravur in May 1982. After a Supreme Court decision that mandated that voting machines must have legal support, EVMs were no longer allowed to be used after 1983. In December 1988, the law was eventually changed. In the 2004 general elections, 1.75 million electronic voting machines were utilized throughout all polling places in India transforming India into an e-democracy. At present there are only two manufacturers of EVM under Central Government’s undertaking - Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India.
Advantages of using EVMs over Traditional Paper Ballots
Since EVMs evolution, it has faced legal challenges. Due to this it has undergone variations. Ballot paper involves physically marking a paper to indicate a voter’s choice. While on EVM a voter can vote by pressing a button next to the chosen candidate’s symbol on the balloting unit. Voting through ballot papers incorporates manual counting which can be time consuming and can give fraudulent results. EVMs give more privacy since it stores the votes electronically. Ballot paper voting includes usage of paper whereas EVMs reduce paper usage. Malpractice and miscounting can happen in case of Ballot Paper, while EVM ensures safe counting.
Controversies Surrounding EVMs
From the beginning of using EVMs in the electoral process, several political parties have claimed that it could be tampered with or votes could be stuffed into it. They say that the machine can be programmed in such a manner that all votes would go to one party only if people vote for different parties.
Taking these allegations into consideration, in 1990, the Union government decided to set up a committee under Dinesh Goswami who looked into the set up of EVMs. Later, when the EVM was examined by the technical committee, EVM got the go-ahead, and was used in Lok Sabha elections in 2004.
Response from Election Commission of India (ECI) on EVMs
On the allegations from the political parties, the Election Commission has said “Ballot paper has a huge drawback. We don't even think about it,” and the EVM system must continue. The Election Commission on the allegations made by Congress said that it has full faith in the use of EVMs in the election. Indian Election authorities continue to insist that the EVMs are fully safe.
The Procedure of Casting a Vote
The perceptions of the public about EVMs can be seen in the whole procedure of voting. When a voter arrives, workers verify his or her identity and record the voter’s presence by obtaining a signature or thumb print. To prevent double voting, they mark the voter’s right index finger with indelible ink. Next, a poll worker presses the BALLOT button on the control unit to allow one vote. This causes a green READY light to glow on the ballot unit. The voter enters the polling booth and presses the button for the candidate of his or her choice. A red light next to the candidate button glows, the ready light turns off, and the control unit emits a loud beep to indicate that the vote has been cast. The red light then turns off automatically. This process repeats for each voter.
Preparations and Advancements made in EVM Technology for the 2024 elections
This year India is going to begin its largest elections. The Elections Commission of India is all set to commence it. This year EVM has three units - ballot unit, control unit for the office-in-charge to ensure that a voter votes only once, and a voter-verifiable-audit-trail (VVPAT), which produces a paper slip that is visible to the voter via a transparent screen before it gets stored in a sealed drop box.
The Election Commission has said that preparations for Lok Sabha elections are underway. The commission has started the manufacturing of 8.92 lakh new VVPAT machines and has decided to retire the obsolete EVMs.
Future of EVMs in Indian Elections
Today, electronic voting systems are used across the world. Digital technology has transformed the electoral process nearly in all countries including India. Through research and development in the field of technology, integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (ML) can be seen to enhance the electoral process. AI and ML can bring about efficiency and transparency in the registrations and identification of voters data.
Since India is transforming itself into a digital economy, it may see the prevalence of EVM in the future. In that scenario the education of voters and digital literacy will become imperative. However it also becomes necessary for the stakeholders to give their efforts to address the challenges that EVM faces.
Final Thoughts
The role of technology in the electoral process is continuously evolving. The introduction of EVMs in a country like India which is the largest democracy in the world, has made the electoral process easy and smooth. While it offers numerous benefits but also faces the challenges from the political parties. The Election Commission of India is also continuously giving its efforts to make the voting procedure transparent and fair through the implementation of VVPAT systems.
Written By Shivani
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