Electronic Voting Machines (EVM)

• 25 Sep 2024

Why in News?

Recently, elections are being conducted in Jammu and Kashmir, with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) playing a crucial role in the polling process.

Key Points

• About: EVM is a device used to record votes electronically. They were first used in the Paravur Assembly Constituency of Kerala in the year 1982.
  • Since 1998, the Election Commission has increasingly used EVMs instead of ballot boxes.
  • In 2003, all state elections and by-elections were held using EVMs.
    • Encouraged by this, in 2004, the Commission took a historic decision to use only EVMs for the Lok Sabha elections.
• Development: It has been devised and designed by the Technical Experts Committee (TEC) of the Election Commission in collaboration with two Public Sector undertakings: Bharat Electronics Ltd, Bangalore (under Ministry of Defence ) and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd, Hyderabad (under Department of Atomic Energy).
• Functionality: It has two parts, a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit connected by a cable.
  • The Control Unit stays with the polling officer, while the Balloting Unit is in the voting booth.
  • The voter has to simply press the blue button on the Ballot Unit against the candidate and symbol of his choice and the vote is recorded.
• Key Features:
  • An EVM being used by ECI can record a maximum of 2,000 votes.
  • They do not require electricity. They run on an ordinary battery assembled by Bharat Electronics Limited/Electronics Corporation of India Limited.
  • The microchip used in EVMs is a one-time programmable/masked chip, which can neither be read nor overwritten.
    • Furthermore, the EVMs are stand-alone machines and there is no operating system used in these machines.
• Benefits:
  • Accuracy: EVMs eliminate the occurrence of 'Invalid Votes' seen frequently with paper ballots, ensuring a more accurate reflection of voter choice and reducing complaints and legal disputes.
  • Efficiency: EVMs streamline the voting process, making it faster and more efficient. They eliminate the need for manual counting, reducing the time required to declare election results.
  • Transparency: EVMs enhance transparency in the electoral process by providing a clear and verifiable record of votes cast. With features like VVPAT, voters can verify that their votes are recorded accurately.
  • Cost-effectiveness: EVMs offer cost savings in terms of paper, printing, transportation, and storage, as they eliminate the need for millions of printed ballot papers for each election cycle.

VVPAT

• About: Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is an independent system attached with the EVM that allow the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended.
  • It was introduced in the bye-election of the Noksen Assembly Constituency of Nagaland in 2013.
  • In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, VVPATs were used in all the constituencies.
• Functionality: When a vote is cast, a slip is printed containing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate and remains exposed through a transparent window for 7 seconds.
  • Thereafter, the printed slip automatically gets cut and falls in the sealed drop box of the VVPAT.
  • The machines can be accessed by polling officers only.
• Related Supreme Court Ruling: In a 2013 Subramanian Swamy V/S ECI case, the Supreme Court emphasised the necessity of implementing VVPAT in elections conducted through EVMs.
  • Presently, the M3 Model of ECI-EVM and VVPAT are used.