Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is an electronic device for recording voters' votes. This machine consists of a control unit and a balloting unit, which are connected by a five-meter cable. The control unit of the EVM is kept with the presiding officer or polling officer and the ballot unit is kept inside the voting compartment. The polling officer in-charge of the control unit issues a ballot paper by pressing the ballot paper button on the control unit. After this, the voter casts his vote by pressing the blue button on the ballot unit in front of the candidate and symbol of his choice.
• EVMs were first used in 1982 in the 70-Parur assembly constituency of Kerala.
• EVM does not require electricity. The EVMs run on a simple battery added by Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited.
• VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) also runs on power battery.
• EVMs with VVPAT were used for the first time in the by-election of 51- Noksen (ST) assembly constituency of Nagaland.
• The EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) used by the Election Commission of India can record a maximum of 2,000 votes.
Advantages of using EVM
This completely eliminates the possibility of 'invalid vote' being cast, which was seen in large numbers during every election during the paper ballot system. In many cases the number of invalid votes exceeded the margin of victory, leading to numerous complaints and lawsuits. Thus, EVMs enabled a more authentic and accurate reflection of the elector's choice. The use of EVMs eliminates the need to print lakhs of ballot papers for each election. This results in huge savings in terms of paper, printing, transportation, storage and distribution costs. The counting process is extremely fast and results can be declared within 3 to 5 hours compared to an average of 30–40 hours under the traditional ballot paper system. Its other benefits are as follows-
Secure and Fair – EVMs make the election process secure and fair. This keeps the important information of the voter safe and the chances of human errors are reduced.
Fast and effective -EVMs make the voting process fast and effective. Voters can cast their ballot quickly. Due to which the voting process can be completed in less time.
Saving Natural Resources: The EVM voting process reduces the heavy consumption of paper as compared to ballot paper. It also reduces cutting of trees. And saves natural resources.
Less chances of mistakes - EVMs reduce the chances of human errors during voting. It also reduces the chances of mistakes being made by the voter.
Transparency - EVMs help in conducting the election process with formality and transparency. It protects general voter information and promotes the integrity of the election process.
How many maximum candidates can elections be conducted through EVM
M2 EVMs used between 2006 and 2010, including NOTA Elections can be conducted for a maximum of 64 candidates. There is provision for 16 candidates in a balloting unit. If the total number of candidates exceeds 16, more than one Balloting Unit can be added by combining 4 Balloting Units for a maximum of 64 candidates. However, with the M3 EVM which came after 2013, by connecting 24 balloting units to that EVM, elections can be conducted for a maximum of 384 candidates including NOTA.
What if an electronic voting machine breaks down in a polling station
If the EVM i.e. Electronic Voting Machine of a polling station gets damaged, it is replaced with a new EVM. When the EVM is damaged, the votes recorded till that time are saved in the memory of the control unit and after replacing the damaged electronic voting machine with a new EVM, the voting process is continued and in any such situation the voting is started from the beginning. There is no need to start over. On the day of counting, the votes recorded in both the control units are counted, so that the complete total result of that polling station can be obtained.
Is it possible to vote more than once by pressing the button repeatedly
No, this can never happen, because as soon as the button of the balloting unit is pressed, the vote for that particular candidate is recorded and the machine is locked. Even if someone presses that button again or any other button, no further vote will be recorded. Thus EVMs ensure the principle of 'one person, one vote'. The next vote is possible only when When the Presiding Officer or Polling Officer in-charge of the Control Unit releases the ballot paper by pressing the ballot paper button.
How can voters ensure that the EVM is working properly
When the voter presses the blue button in front of the candidate and symbol of his choice, the light in front of the symbol of that candidate lights up in red and a long beep is heard. Thus, through both sound and red light signals, the voter can be confident that his vote has been recorded correctly. Apart from this, an additional verification is provided to the voter in the form of VVPAT paper slip so that he can be sure that his vote has been cast correctly for the candidate of his choice.
Who has designed the electronic voting machine
The EVMs have been designed and developed by the Technical Expert Committee of the Election Commission in collaboration with two public sector undertakings Bharat Electronics Limited, Bangalore and Electronics Corporation of India Limited, Hyderabad. EVMs are manufactured by both these enterprises.
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is an independent system attached to electronic voting machines that helps voters verify that their vote was cast as intended. When a vote is cast, a slip containing the name, serial number and symbol of the candidate is printed and visible through a transparent window for 7 seconds. after that this
the slip drops into the sealed drop box of the VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail).
Who does the first level checking of EVMs and VVPATs
First Level Checking (FLC) of EVMs and VVPATs under the control of District Election Officer and under the direct supervision of Deputy District Election Officer in the presence of representatives of political parties by authorized engineers of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). and it is videographed.
Is it possible to know in advance about the allocation of EVMs at a particular polling station
No, the names of candidates in the ballot unit are arranged in alphabetical order, with national and state recognized political parties first. After that there is for other state registered parties and then for independents. In this situation the order in which candidates appear on the ballot unit depends on the names of the candidates and their party affiliation and cannot be determined in advance. At the same time, EVMs are allocated to the polling station in two stages through the Electronic Voting Machine Tracking Software developed by the Election Commission. After the first level checking of EVMs, the first allocation of EVMs is done at the District Election Officer level in the presence of representatives of political parties to allocate them area wise in the assembly elections. Thereafter the second allotment of EVMs is done at the Returning Officer level, in the presence of the candidates or their agents, before the commissioning of the EVMs. So that they can be allotted polling station wise.
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