Election Commission’s move is welcome
Electronic Voting Machines ("EVM") are being used in Indian
General and State Elections to implement electronic voting in part from 1999
elections and recently in 2017 state elections held in five states across
India. EVMs have replaced paper ballots in local, state and general
(parliamentary) elections in India. There were earlier claims regarding EVMs'
tamparability and security which have not been proved. After rulings of Delhi
High Court, Supreme Court and demands from various political parties, Election Commission
decided to introduce EVMs with Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system.
The Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system was introduced in 8 of 543
parliamentary constituencies as a pilot project in Indian general election,
2014.
The electronic voting machine has been under strong scrutiny ever since
it was deployed in the 1990s. EVM is not reliant on computer software or
networked components. Questions have
been therefore raised about the possibility of EVM-tampering. The Election
Commission has evolved improvements over time to address these concerns, and
has strengthened technical and administrative safeguards to prevent any
manipulation.
These steps have obviously not satisfied some political parties which
have used the logic of machine fallibility to claim that their recent electoral
losses were a consequence of EVM tampering rather than actual voter choice.
The EC’s challenge to political parties to participate in a hackathon on
June 3, to test out manipulation of EVMs with the various safeguards in place,
is welcome.
Finding no way out the defeated political leaders are blaming EVMs for no
apparent reason. Either they should come out and hack the machines or apologize
publicly.
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