Indian General Election 2019 schedule has been revealed and the national election will be held in seven rounds from April 11 and the results will be announced on May 23. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have replaced paper ballots in local, state and general elections in India long time ago. However, even now a major population in India have concerns regarding the EVMs and their functions.
Given below is a list of some frequently asked questions related to Electronic Voting machines
Q1. What is an Electronic Voting machine? In what way its functioning is different from the conventional system of voting?
Ans. Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is an electronic device for recording votes. An Electronic Voting Machine consists of two Units - a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit - joined by a five-meter cable. The Control Unit is placed with the Presiding Officer or a Polling Officer and the Balloting Unit is placed inside the voting compartment. Instead of issuing a ballot paper, the Polling Officer in-charge of the Control Unit will release a ballot by pressing the Ballot Button on the Control Unit. This will enable the voter to cast his vote by pressing the blue button on the Balloting Unit against the candidate and symbol of his choice.
Q2. When was the EVM first introduced in elections?
Ans. EVMs were first used in 70-Parur Assembly Constituency of Kerala in the year 1982.
Q3. How can EVMs be used in areas where there is no electricity?
Ans. EVMs do not require electricity. EVMs run on an ordinary battery assembled by Bharat Electronics Limited/Electronics Corporation of India Limited.
Q4. What is the maximum number of votes which can be cast in EVMs?
Ans. An EVM being used by ECI can record a maximum of 2,000 votes.
Q5. What is the maximum number of candidates which EVMs can cater to?
Ans. In case of M2 EVMs (2006-10), EVMs can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates including NOTA. There is provision for 16 candidates in a Balloting Unit. If the total number of candidates exceeds 16, more balloting units can be attached (one per 16 candidates) up to a maximum of 64 candidates by connecting 4 Balloting Units. However, in case of M3 EVMs (Post 2013), EVMs can cater to a maximum of 384 candidates including NOTA by connecting 24 Balloting Units.
Q6. What will happen if the EVM in a particular polling station goes out of order?
Ans. If an EVM of a particular polling station goes out of order, the same is replaced with a new one. The votes recorded until the stage when the EVM went out of order remains safe in the memory of the Control Unit and it is perfectly fine to proceed with the polling after replacing the EVM with new EVM and there is no need to start the poll from the beginning. On counting day, votes recorded in both Control Units are counted to give the aggregate result of that polling station.
Q7. Who has designed the EVMs?
Ans. The EVMs have been devised and designed by the Technical Experts Committee (TEC) of the Election Commission in collaboration with two Public Sector undertakings viz., Bharat Electronics Ltd., Bangalore and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd., Hyderabad. The EVMs are manufactured by the above two undertakings.
Q8. What is Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)?
Ans. Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is an independent system attached with the Electronic Voting Machines that allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended. When a vote is cast, a slip is printed containing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate and remains exposed through a transparent window for seven seconds. Thereafter, this printed slip automatically gets cut and falls in the sealed drop box of the VVPAT.
Q9. Whether VVPAT runs on electricity?
Ans. No, VVPAT runs on a power pack battery.
Q10. Where were VVPATs used for the first time in India?
Ans. VVPATs with EVMs were used for first time in a bye-election from 51-Noksen (ST) Assembly Constituency of Nagaland.
Q11. Who conducts the First Level Checking of EVMs & VVPATs?
Ans. Only authorized engineers of the manufacturers, namely Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), conduct the First Level Checking (FLC) of EVMs and VVPATs under control of District Election Officer and direct supervision of Dy. DEO in the presence of the representative of Political Parties under videography.
Q12. What is the cost of the machines? Is it not too expensive to use EVMs?
Ans. The Cost of M2 EVMs (manufactured between 2006-10) was Rs.8670/- per EVM (Balloting Unit and Control Unit). The cost of M3 EVMs has been tentatively fixed at about Rs. 17,000 per unit. Even though the initial investment seems somewhat heavy, this is more than set off by the savings in the matter of printing of ballot papers in lakhs for every election, their transportation, storage etc., and the substantial reduction in the counting staff and the remuneration paid to them.
Q13. In our country a sizeable section of the population is illiterate. Will it not cause problems for the illiterate voters?
Ans. Voting by EVMs is much simpler compared to the conventional system, where one has to put the voting mark on or near the symbol of the candidate of his choice on the Ballot Paper, fold it first vertically and then horizontally and thereafter put it into the ballot box. In EVMs, the voter has to simply press the blue button on Ballot Unit against the candidate and symbol of his choice and the vote is recorded.
Q14. Is it possible to use EVMs for simultaneous elections for Parliament and State Legislative Assembly?
Ans. Yes. However, during simultaneous elections, two separate sets of EVMs are required, one for the Parliamentary Constituency and the other for the Legislative Assembly Constituency.
Q15. What are the advantages of using EVMs?
Ans. The advantage of using EVMs:
It completely eliminates the possibility of casting 'Invalid Votes', which during the paper ballot regime was noticed in large numbers during each election. In fact, in many cases, the number of 'Invalid Votes' exceeded the winning margin, leading to numerous complaints and litigations. Thus EVMs have enabled a more authentic and accurate reflection of the choice of the electorate.
With the use of EVMs, printing of millions of ballot papers for every election can be dispensed with, as only one ballot paper is required for fixing on the Balloting Unit at each polling station instead of one ballot paper for each individual elector. This results in huge savings by way of cost of paper, printing, transportation, storage and distribution.
The counting process is very quick and the result can be declared within three to five hours as compared to 30-40 hours, on an average, under the conventional Ballot paper system.
Q16. With ballot boxes counting is done after mixing the ballot papers. Is it possible to adopt this system when EVMs are used?
Ans. Yes, through the use of a device called 'Totalizer' which can accommodate upto 14 Control Units at a time to aggregate votes without revealing the candidate-wise count of individual EVM used at a particular polling station. However, totalizers are not in use at present as its technical aspects and other related issues are under examination and it is also the subject of a court case.
Q17. How long does the Control Unit store the result in its memory?
Ans. The Control Unit can store the result in its memory until the data is deleted or cleared.
Q18. Wherever an election petition is filed, the result of the election is subject to the final outcome. The courts, in appropriate cases, may order a recount of votes. Whether EVMs can be stored for such a long time and whether the result can be taken in the presence of the officers authorised by courts?
Ans. The lifespan of an EVM is 15 years and even more and votes recorded in the Control Unit can be stored upto its lifetime until it is cleared. If the Court orders a recount, the Control Unit can be reactivated by fixing the battery and it will display the result stored in its memory.
Q19. Is it possible to vote more than once by pressing the button again and again?
Ans. No. As soon as a particular button on the Balloting Unit is pressed, the vote is recorded for that particular candidate and the machine gets locked. Even if one presses that button further or any other button, no further vote will be recorded. This way the EVMs ensure the principle of "one man, one vote". The next vote is enabled only when the Presiding Officer/Polling Officer in-charge of the Control Unit releases the Ballot by pressing the Ballot Button. This is a distinct advantage over the ballot paper system.
Q20. How can a voter be sure that the EVM is working and his vote has been recorded?
Ans. As soon as the voter presses the `blue button' against the candidate and symbol of his choice, the lamp against the symbol of that particular candidate glows red and a long beep sound is heard. Thus, there are both audio and visual indications for the voter to be assured that his vote has been recorded correctly. In addition, VVPAT provides an additional visual verification in the form of paper slip to the voter so he can ensure that his vote has been correctly recorded for the candidate of his choice.
Q21. Is it true that sometimes because of short-circuitry or other reason, a voter is likely to get an electric shock while pressing the blue button?
Ans. No. EVMs work on a battery and there is absolutely no chance of any voter getting an electric shock at the time of pressing the `blue button' or at any time of handling the EVM.
Q22. Is it possible to program the EVMs in such a way that initially, say upto 100 votes, votes will be recorded exactly in the same way as the `blue buttons' are pressed, but thereafter, votes will be recorded only in favour of one particular candidate irrespective of whether the `blue button' against that candidate or any other candidate is pressed?
Ans. The microchip used in EVMs is a one-time programmable/ masked chip, which can neither be read nor overwritten. Hence, the program used in the EVMs cannot be reprogrammed in a particular manner. Furthermore, the EVMs are stand-alone machines which are not accessible remotely from any network are connected with any external devices and there is no operating system used in these machines. There is, therefore, absolutely no chance of programming the EVMs in a particular way to select any particular candidate or political party.
Q23. Will it not be difficult to transport the EVMs to the polling stations?
Ans. No. On the contrary, it is easier to transport the EVMs, as compared to ballot boxes as EVMs are lighter, portable and come with custom-made polypropylene carrying cases for ease of portage/transport.
Q24. In many areas of the country, there is no electricity connection and even in those places where there is an electricity connection, the power supply is erratic. In this scenario will it not create a problem in storing the machines without air conditioning?
Ans. There is no need to air condition the room/hall where EVMs are stored. What is required is only to keep the room/hall free from dust dampness and rodents as in the case of ballot boxes.
Q25. In the conventional system, it will be possible to know the total number of votes polled at any particular point of time. In EVMs 'Result' portion is sealed and will be opened only at the time of counting. How can the total number of votes polled be known on the date of poll?
Ans. In addition to the 'Result' button, there is a 'Total' button on the Control Unit of EVMs. By pressing this button the total number of votes polled upto the time of pressing the button will be displayed without indicating the candidate-wise result.