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politics

mission has described these baseless. are realigned at the voting place before so far followed the paper ballot system
Terming the allegations of tamper- the start of voting, those touch screen of voting finding it to be simple and
ing and hacking of electronic voting machines can misinterpret the voter’s verifiable. Countries like Ireland, Cali-
machines (EVMs) leveled by an Indian intent at the time when the voter uses fornia, Germany, and Finland have
seeking political asylum in the US as them for casting the votes. abandoned and rejected the E-voting
“motivated”, the Election Commission Using the Internet in the electoral for a long time back.
has dismissed it, saying the machines process itself open the possibilities Election Commission has main-
are “foolproof”. But in the mind of a lay- of hacking of confidential informa- tained that it does not want to become
man, the doubts persist because a voter tion. This clearly shows that the EVM a party to “this motivated slugfest”.
cannot observe the process inside the Voting System has intrinsic security After all these EVMs are manufactured
computer and must simply trust that problems. It is vulnerable to frauds and in Bharat Electronics Limited and Elec-
the votes are registered on the screen hacking. Several countries of the world tronics Corporation of Indian Lim-
are correctly processed by the hard- have refused the EVM Voting System ited under very strict supervisory and
ware and software of the computer. because they all find it insecure and security conditions. Also, there are rig-
Can paper receipts rule out bugs or easily subjected to frauds, flaws, and orous standard operating procedures
malicious code in the software or the manipulations. Developed nations like meticulously observed at all stages
possibility of malfunctioning of hard- UK, France, Singapore, and Japan have under the supervision of a committee
ware or software?
Are these EVMs foolproof? It is a fact
that voters cannot observe the process
inside the computer and must simply
trust that the votes are registered on
the screen is correctly processed by the
hardware and software of the comput-
er. Mere a paper receipt cannot rule out
bugs or malicious code in the software
nor it terminates the possibility of mal-
functioning of hardware or software.
Then there is the recount issue. EVMs
systems have two ballots, one is the
electronic record stored by the EVM
and the other is voter-verifiable paper
ballots printed by the EVM. Issues may
arise about the authenticity of both the
electronic and paper ballots when the
result of the totals does not match. Also
the accuracy tests and logic on EVMs of eminent technical experts consti-
are complex and troublesome. Political parties had tuted way back in 2010.
There are two methods in the first been making a hue For quite some time, political par-
the election workers follow a script and ties had been making a hue and cry
enter test votes in an EVM via the touch and cry over alleged over alleged misuse of electronic vot-
screen which is surely time-consum- misuse of electronic ing machines by the ruling dispensa-
ing and expensive. The second method tion. The immediate reason for Election
uses a test cartridge that is plugged into voting machines by Commission to issue a rejoinder was
the voting machine to activate a hu- the ruling party. The a disclosure made by one Syed Suja
man casting vote through the touch recently at a press conference in Lon-
screen, this method is efficient but it is reason for Election don via Skype, claiming that the 2014
very complex for the one who is wit- General Election was “rigged” through
nessing the test and feels perplexed to Commission to issue the EVMs, which, he said, could be
understand what this test is all about. a rejoinder was a hacked. Syed Suja also alleged that he
A malicious EVM system can affect a fled India in 2014 because he felt threat-
huge number of votes. The sensors in recent claim made by ened in the country after the killing of
the touch screen devices can lose the a self proclaimed some of his team members.
alignment by shock or vibration dur- Soon after Shuja’s press meet, West
ing transport. And unless the sensors cyber expert in UK Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Tehelka / 15 february 2019 27 www.Tehelka.com