Page 27 - English Tehelka Issue 7 - April 15, 2018

column politics

• tech transparency Use of EVM machines in
EVMs vs. Ballot Paper: combination with VVPAT will add to tranparency

Which one to trust? paper ballots are used in most states
are “security and voter preference”.
Undoubtedly, many European
countries have banned or refrained
Reiteration by the Congress, in its political resolution presented at the re- from using EVMs; there are others who
Hard cently held 84th Plenary Session at New Delhi, of the demand to do away have taken a systematic approach and
backed the use of EVMs with paper
LIne with EVMs has provided further impetus to the ongoing debate on the issue ballots. According to some experts, in
Venezuela EVMs are used on a large
Anil Singh he demand to do away with were tampered with to favour the UPA scale but are backed by paper trails
EVMs is supported by most in election results, was rejected as the of the votes because this simple step
non-NDA political parties HC found no merit in the petition. helps the government to regularize
The columnist is and opposed by BJP as well While alleging that EVMs were not and check the authenticity of votes and
Executive Editor of as the Election Commission ‘foolproof’ in the 2009 Lok Sabha Polls, avoid any discrepancies.
News24 news T of India (ECI). Alluding to veteran BJP leader LK Advani had sug-
channel. The views apprehensions over alleged misuse of gested that the Election Commission Way Forward
here expressed are the EVMs to manipulate the outcome con- revert to ballot papers. The Left parties The ECI intends to introduce VVPAT
author’s own trary to the popular verdict, Congress and BSP also extended their support machines with EVMs in all constituen-
resolution has called upon the ECI to to this demand. In the wake of some cies during the 2019 general elections
revert to the old practice of paper ballot petitions challenging the use of EVMs with the hope that it would allay some
to ensure credibility of the electoral pro- in elections before it, the Supreme polls. Subsequently, a two-judge bench 21st century that an increasing number doubts raised by naysayers and ensure
cess. The issue of EVMs being tampered Court on October 9, 2013, had asked the issued notices to the Centre and the of countries around the world started transparency and confidence in the
with in India has been raked up by sev- Election Commission to introduce in a ECI asking them to respond to the plea to adopt technologies such as DRE electoral process.
eral political parties from time to time phased manner the paper trail in EVMs challenging the use of EVMs without voting machines, ballot scanning ma- In early March this year, the Central
and in 2017 it had seemingly reached for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, saying paper trail. Aam Aadmi Party alleged chines and the internet. Some experts government informed the apex court
its zenith. While conceding that this “it is an indispensable requirement of manipulation of EVMs after BJP’s win point out that very different trends are that all political parties were opposed
debate is linked to the core emotion of free, fair and transparent” polls which in the 2017 Delhi municipal body polls. seen in different regions of the globe. to the use of ‘totalizer’ in counting of
democracy that makes it no ordinary is- will restore confidence of the voters. The A plea by Congress to issue directions to Electronic voting was introduced in votes by EVMs. A ‘totalizer’ is expected
sue, one critic has opined that the voices apex court also directed introduction of the Election Commission to count and many countries. But serious doubts to mask voting patterns at counting
alleging tampering with the very fabric Vote Verifier Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) cross verify the paper trail with EVM were soon raised about the security, stations, thus adding a layer of security
of democracy have instilled a fear even system with EVMs. votes in Gujarat was rejected by the accuracy, reliability and verifiability of to the process.
among the common populace — “could The resounding victory of the BJP Supreme Court on December 15, 2017. electronic elections. According to media reports, the EC
it be that our elections are rigged?” in the 2014 General Elections again re- Despite Election Commission’s EVMs have been termed as uncon- first proposed the use of ‘totalizer’ in
vived the issue of faulty EVMs. The year reiteration time and again that EVMs stitutional and banned in Germany. The 2008. In 2015, the Law Commission in a
Backdrop to the debate 2017 witnessed sharpened focus on the cannot be tampered with, Opposi- Netherlands banned the use of EVMs in report also supported the EC’s demand
According to the official website of the issue starting with the BMC elections in tion parties have frequently insisted 2008 stating that they lack transparen- stating that “Using a totalizer would
ECI, EVMs were used on experimental which many losing candidates claimed on doing away with the EVMs and as cy. Ireland scrapped the electronic vot- increase the secrecy of votes during
basis for the first time in 16 Assembly that EVMs were manipulated in BJP’s such the controversy refuses to die ing system citing it to lack of trust and counting, thus preventing the disclo-
Constituencies in Madhya Pradesh (5), favour and demanded re-polling with down. In order to allay concerns and transparency in the voting machine. sure of voting patterns and countering
In January 2016, the UK Parliament
Germany, the Rajasthan (5) and NCT of Delhi (6) in ballot papers. The debate on faulty EVMs confront allegations of voter fraud by revealed that it has no plans to intro- fears of intimidation and victimisation”.
However, almost all political parties
running through the administrative
gathered momentum once again in the
elections to the respective Legislative
Netherlands Assemblies held in November,1998. aftermath of the declaration of results and technological safeguards instituted duce electronic voting for statutory continue to have reservations about
and Ireland However, a losing candidate filed a of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, to keep EVMs and the voting process elections, either using electronic voting the totalizer.
Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
in polling booths or remotely via the
tamper-proof, the ECI has sought to
In the wake of the fact that there is
plea in 1999 challenging the role of
banned the use EVMs in the Yelahanka Parliamentary Following BJP’s landslide victory in issue formal direction to use Voter internet. While France has chosen to worldwide acceptance of the need for
of EVMs citing constituency in Karnataka, which was Uttar Pradesh, BSP supremo Mayawati Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) vote via the internet, EVMs have not a paper trail in conjunction with EVMs,
rejected by the Karnataka High Court
been used in France.
the introduction of VVPAT machines
took up the issue of EVM tampering and
machines in all future Lok Sabha and
lack of trust and in its verdict in 2005, by stating that demanded investigation on voting ma- Assembly elections. Italy has chosen to go back to bal- with EVMs, as proposed by the ECI
transparency EVMs were a great achievement in the chines. Even Samajwadi Party came on Situation in Other Democracies lot paper as it is easy to manage and can help in settling this controversy,
provided political parties don’t make it
country and ruled out that the machines board with BSP. Mayawati even moved
cheaper. A report published in Time
in the voting were tamper-proof. A petition against court on the issue, saying that the BJP Electronic technologies began to ap- magazine quotes the US Election As- a prestige issue owing to party rivalries.

tampered with the EVMs in at least
EVMs in 2004 filed before the Delhi
sistance Commission Chairman Tom
pear in the 1960s; nonetheless, it was
machine High Court, alleging that the machines 250 seats out of 403 in the Assembly the 1990s and the first decade of the Hicks saying that the “primary reasons” letters@tehelka.com
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