What is EVM ?
A portable device used to conduct elections for the parliament, legislature, and local bodies like panchayats and municipalities is an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
An electronic voting machine, or EVM, is a microcontroller-based device used to modernise the voting process. It eliminates the possibility of incorrect votes, maintains complete voting data privacy, and makes it easier to count votes quickly and accurately. The votes recorded in EVMs can be retrieved if necessary and are preserved for years.
Why EVM is Efficient and Reliable System ?
When one candidate must be chosen from a large field of candidates, the electronic voting machine is a dependable method of conducting the election. The EVM is made to handle just one post and one vote.
By using an EVM, a voter can select the NOTA option or cast their ballot for the candidate of their choice. Each electronic voting machine (EVM) features a None of the Above (NOTA) button that voters can click if they don't want to support any of the candidates.
Who Developed EVM ?
The Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Limited, two central government agencies, and the Election Commission (EC) collaborated to build India's first electronic voting machines (EVMs) in 1989.
When EVM was first Introduced ?
The first assembly seats where EVMs were deployed were in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi. In Goa in 1999 and the 2004 Lok Sabha election, all votes were cast using electronic voting machines.
How EVM is Configured for the Election Day ?
As their name implies, Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) function on a "push a button" mode rather than the "stamp, fold, and deposit" method. The Control Unit and the Balloting Unit are the two halves of an EVM. A five-meter cable links these two devices.
The polling officer, also known as the presiding officer, maintains and controls the control unit as voters cast their ballots on the balloting units situated inside the enclosed polling places. Instead of the earlier days of voting by paper ballot, when the poll official would hand out a ballot paper, the officer in charge now hits the ballot button on the control unit, resulting in the activation of the voting machine.
There can be up to 16 candidates in a voting unit. If there are more candidates than this, more of these voting units can be connected parallel to it to raise the limit to the maximum for an EV that is from 32, 48, or 64—if necessary.
How to use EVM to cast a Vote ?
Voters are taken inside the voting booth when the balloting unit is turned on, where they cast their ballots by pushing a blue button next to the candidate's name and the party emblem. As soon as the voter cast their vote against the candidate of his/her choice and then a red light glows against the symbol and name of the candidate for whom the vote has been cast. Simultaneously, a long beep can be heard, which confirms the polling of a particular vote. Further, the Voter will see a print of a ballot slip containing the name and symbol of the candidate and the serial number.
Can EVM be Hacked and Manipulated ?
The possibilities of tampering with an EVM and affecting the results are ZERO because the entire voting process is protected by so many checks and balances. When voting or tallying, it would be immediately clear if a machine had been tampered with at any point in the election.
There are 6 stages that guarantee the safety and protection of the entire voting process, which are as follows :
Stage 1 : Arrival of EVMs at District Headquarter
EVMs were obtained from BEL (Bharat Electronics Limited) and retained in the district headquarters after the election results were announced. Strong Rooms are used to keep every EVM. Political parties must be notified in advance of the opening or closing of a strong room. The entire procedure must be recorded on film, and police are deployed as well as being under constant CCTV observation.
Stage 2 : EVMs arrive in the Assembly Constituency
Until three weeks before elections, the specific EVM would be used in the assembly constituency is not made public. In the presence of political parties, the procedure of allocating EVMs to a constituency is carried out using randomization.
The machines were kept in the constituency's EVM Strong Room after being delivered from the district. Once more, the complete CCTV process is followed, including videography and informing the political party.
The second randomization, which is conducted a week before the election and in the presence of the General Observer and Political Parties, determines which machine goes to which Polling Station. The political parties are all given access to this list. So, the likelihood that a different machine was utilised at a polling place is eliminated. If there is a disparity in the ID of the machines being used on election day or the day of counting, the political party can readily draw attention to it.
Stage 3 : Commissioning of EVM
Each machine is checked before being sent to the polling places by casting one vote for each candidate in each machine in the presence of the political parties. To ensure that just one vote is cast for each contender, this is done.
Random Selection
The political party can choose a machine at random, cast 1000 votes, and count the VVPAT ballots on the commissioning day to ensure that every machine is functioning properly.
Putting seal
All important areas of machines are sealed in such a way that signatures from all political parties may be found on each seal. Each seal is identified by a unique number. If someone cracks the seal, it will be recognised instantly.
Stage 4 : Verification of the EVM
The most recent list of electors is handed to Polling Agents. If you visit a polling place, election workers and at least four or five polling agents will be present in the booth. All poll workers identify each voter as they enter the voting booth. By doing this, fraudulent votes and impersonation are prevented.
Mock Poll
The polling process as a whole depends on this. A minimum of 50 votes must be cast by poll workers before the election. All political parties see the mock poll results so they may add them up. By doing this, you can be certain that the machine is operating normally and that the circuit hasn't been rewired or reconnected.
In Addition to that, All presiding officers are required to sign a certificate attesting to the completion and tallying of the mock poll.
End of Poll
All voting machines are sealed in front of the polling agents at the conclusion of the election, and they are required to place their initials on each compartment and seal. A list of all the votes is then delivered to the poll workers. So, if 1000 votes are cast at the conclusion of the election, a statement verifying this is delivered to the political party and signed by the presiding officer.
Stage 5 : Election Day
After each vote is casted, the ballot unit automatically locks itself, and it can only be unlocked by entering a new ballot number. The polling station is always presided over by a government employee who controls the EVM control unit. The officer must unlock the ballot unit in order for another ballot to be cast. Because of this strategy, no individual will be able to cast more than one vote, rendering the system impenetrable.
Stage 6 : Storing Polled EVMs
The EVMs are once more kept after the election in godowns under police and CCTV surveillance. This time, the political parties have the choice to always be seated in front of the Strong Room.
Political Parties can see the strong room's live stream on a huge LED screen in a separate room that has been set up for this purpose. In order to prevent anyone (including District Officials, Returning Officer or any other ECI Official) from entering, certain arrangements have been devised.
Once the EVMs are sealed in the strong room, it can only be opened again on the day of counting.
Stage 7 : Day of Counting.
The strong room is once more opened in front of Political Parties on the day of counting. The following details are checked when a machine is brought in for counting:
(1) Does the voting machine come from the same polling place? (Which is confirmed using the list that was provided to the candidates one week prior to voting.)
(2) Does everything have its seals and tags? (This confirmed by observing the Presiding Officer's and all Polling Agents' signs on the day of the count)
(3) Does the whole number of votes cast in EVMs get counted? (At the conclusion of voting, candidates are already provided with the total number of ballots cast at each polling location.)
The Result button of the EVM is pressed to determine the number of votes cast in favour of one candidate once the aforementioned information has been added up. A machine's output is not conveyed unless all applicants have attested to its legitimacy. Each machine's result sheet contains each candidate's signature on it.
Random Verification
The political parties may choose one random polling place where the election workers count the VVPAT slips and add them to the results shown on the EVM in order to settle any concerns.
Therefore, the likelihood of an EVM hack is equal to that of an elephant passing through a needle's eye. Additionally, since the political party has already been informed of the vote totals. Thus, it is impossible to tamper with the EVM in order to cast more votes. Otherwise, the extra votes would be counted on the day of the election.