What is an Electronic Voting
machine? In what way its functioning is different from the
conventional system of voting?
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 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 press the Ballot Button. 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.
When was the EVM first introduced in elections?
EVMs manufactured in 1989-90
were used on experimental basis for the first time in 16
Assembly Constituencies in the States of Madhya Pradesh (5),
Rajasthan (5) and NCT of Delhi (6) at the General Elections to
the respective Legislative Assemblies held in November, 1998.
How can EVMs be used in areas where there is no electricity?
EVMs run on an ordinary 6
volt alkaline battery manufactured by Bharat Electronics Ltd.,
Bangalore and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd., Hyderabad.
Therefore, even in areas with no power connections, EVMs can
be used.
What is the maximum number of votes which can be cast in EVMs?
EVMs can record a maximum of
3840 votes. As normally the total number of electors in a
polling station will not exceed 1500, the capacity of EVMs is
more than sufficient.
What is the maximum number of candidates which EVMs can cater to?
EVMs can cater to a maximum
of 64 candidates. There is provision for 16 candidates in a
Balloting Unit. If the total number of candidates exceeds 16,
a second Balloting Unit can be linked parallel to the first
Balloting Unit. Similarly, if the total number of candidates
exceeds 32, a third Balloting Unit can be attached and if the
total number of candidates exceeds 48, a fourth Balloting Unit
can be attached to cater to a maximum of 64 candidates.
What will happen if the number
of contesting candidates in a constituency goes beyond 64?
In case the number of
contesting candidates goes beyond 64 in any constituency, EVMs
cannot be used in such a constituency. The conventional method
of voting by means of ballot box and ballot paper will have to
be adopted in such a constituency.
What will happen if the EVM in
a particular polling station goes out of order?
An Officer is put on duty to
cover about 10 polling stations on the day of poll. He will be
carrying spare EVMs and the out-of-order EVM can be replaced
with a new one. The votes recorded until the stage when the
EVM went out of order will be safe in the memory of the
Control Unit and it will be sufficient to proceed with the
polling after the EVM went out of order. It is not necessary
to start the poll from the beginning.
Who has devised the EVMs?
The EVMs have been devised
and designed by Election Commission in collaboration with two
Public Sector undertakings viz., Bharat Electronics Ltd.,
Bangalore and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd., Hyderabad
after a series of meetings, test-checking of the prototypes
and extensive field trials. The EVMs are now manufactured by
the above two undertakings.
What is the cost of the
machines? Is it not too expensive to use EVMs?
The cost per EVM (One Control
Unit, one Balloting Unit and one battery) was Rs.5,500/- at
the time the machines were purchased in 1989-90. Even though
the initial investment is somewhat heavy, this is more than
neutralised by the savings in the matter of printing of ballot
papers in lakhs, their transportation, storage etc., and the
substantial reduction in the counting staff and the
remuneration paid to them.
In our country a sizeable
section of the population being illiterate will it not cause
problems for the illiterate voters?
In fact, voting by EVMs is
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, 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 against the candidate and
symbol of his choice and the vote is recorded. Rural and
illiterate people had no difficulty in recording their votes
and, in fact they have welcomed the use of EVMs.
In our country a sizeable
section of the population being illiterate will it not cause
problems for the illiterate voters?
In fact, voting by EVMs is
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, 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 against the candidate and
symbol of his choice and the vote is recorded. Rural and
illiterate people had no difficulty in recording their votes
and, in fact they have welcomed the use of EVMs.