This will be the fifth Lok Sabha Election since 2004 where the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) would be used in India, maintaining the shift the country made from the traditional ballot paper system.
Almost 55 lakh EVMs are expected to be in circulation in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections that will take place from April 19 in seven phases, with results declared on June 4.
Let us first look at some interesting facts about EVMs.
A person needs to press the button against the name of the candidate or party symbol flashing on the screen of the EVM to cast his/ her vote.
The EVMs can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates (including NOTA); each ballot unit has a provision for 16 candidates. If the total number of candidates exceeds 16, a second Balloting Unit can be linked in series to the first Balloting Unit.
The EVMs manufactured after 2013 (Upgraded Post-2006 version) can attach 24 ballot units to one control unit catering to a maximum of 384 candidates (including NOTA).
The EVMs, devised and designed by the Election Commission in collaboration with Bharat Electronics Ltd, Bangalore, and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd, Hyderabad, don’t require electricity. They run on an ordinary 7.5-volt alkaline power pack.
A maximum of 3,840 votes can be cast on the old version EVMs (2000-05 model) and 2,000 votes in the new version of EVMs (2006 model onwards).
The Control Unit of the EVM can store the result of an election in its memory for 10 years and even more.
Each Control Unit and Balloting Unit is assigned a unique ID number, which is engraved on each unit. A list containing the ID numbers of the EVM (Balloting Unit & Control Unit) to be used in a specific polling station is prepared and provided to the contesting candidates and their agents.
After the completion of the poll, when the last voter has voted, the officer in charge of the Control Unit presses the ‘Close’ button. Once this is done, the EVM does not accept any more votes.
There is no chance of reprogramming the EVMs in a way that could favor any specific candidate or political party. The ECI-EVMs can reveal who voted for whom using a device called a “decoder”.
The cost of the 1989-90 EVM model was Rs 5,500/- per unit, which rose to Rs 8,670 per unit with the 2000-05 models. Since 2006, each unit of an EVM costs Rs 8,670 excluding excise duty, sales tax, and transportation.
History of EVM
The idea was first conceived in 1977. The first prototype of an EVM was designed by the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd in Hyderabad, a PSU under the Department of Atomic Energy in 1979.
The EC had given the demonstration of the EVM before the representatives of political parties on August 6, 1980.
After reaching a consensus, the EC issued directives under Article 324 of the Constitution for the use of EVMs. On May 19, 1982, the voting machines were used on a pilot basis in 50 polling stations during election to Parur assembly seat in Kerala.
The use of EVMs was challenged in the Supreme Court, but it refrained from making any comment on the defects or advantage, but held that the EC’s order regarding the casting of ballots by machines was without jurisdiction.
The results of the winning candidate from Parur constituency with respect to the other 50 polling stations where EVMs were used was set aside.
The Representation of the People Act was amended in December 1988 and a new section, 61A, was included in the law, empowering the EC to use EVMs. The amendment came into force on March 15, 1989.
In 1998, the EVMs were used in the elections in 16 assembly constituencies across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. Their use was further expanded in 1999 to 46 parliamentary constituencies, and in February 2000, the machines were used in 45 assembly seats in Haryana polls. Since then, EVMs have been used in all assembly elections thereafter.
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, EVMs were used in all 543 constituencies.
How are EVMs Different from VVPAT?
In 2013, the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 were amended to introduce the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. They were first used in Nagaland bye-election in Noksen assembly seat.
At least one ballot unit, one control unit and one VVPAT make up one EVM. The VVPAT machine is attached to the ballot unit of an EVM, provides a visual verification for the vote cast by printing a slip of paper with the voter’s choice on it.
The slip contains the candidate’s name, serial number and the party symbol, and is displayed in the machine behind a glass window, giving the voter seven seconds to verify their vote. After this, the slip falls into a compartment underneath. No voter can take the slip back home.
Since 2019, VVPAT slips have been chosen randomly from five polling stations of each constituency and are matched with the EVM count. No discrepancy has been found so far, according to the EC.
In 2018, the EC asked the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) to come up with a “mathematically sound, statistically robust and practically cogent sample size for the internal audit of VVPAT slips with electronic results of EVMs”, as per the affidavit it had filed in the Supreme Court. In February, the EC allowed the counting of VVPAT slips of one randomly selected polling station per Assembly constituency. This was increased to five after the Supreme Court’s judgment following the petition filed by N Chandrababu Naidu, the leader of Telegu Desam Party (TDP).
Brickbats Over EVMs
The Opposition, mainly, the INDIA bloc, have consistently demanded that the slips in all constituencies should be matched with the EVM count for more transparency. The parties have demanded 50% to 100% verification of VVPAT slips. The government, however, has categorically said no to the reintroduction of the ballot system.
