EVM solves poll problems in a flash

MUMBAI, SEPT 7: Exit the ballot papers, ballot boxes, rubber stamps, loads of ink and the various means of transport that bear the burden...

MUMBAI, SEPT 7: Exit the ballot papers, ballot boxes, rubber stamps, loads of ink and the various means of transport that bear the burden of the entire poll paraphernalia. A sleek chip at the heart of The Electronic Voting Machine EVM holds out the promise of easing the Mumbai voter8217;s poll procedure in a flash.

More than 11,000 EVMs will be used for the coming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in 4,837 polling stations in the city, that is, in the entire Greater Mumbai district and the North-East constituency of the Mumbai suburban district. According to the polling officers who are at present giving demos of the machine to voters, the people have welcomed the EVMs enthusiastically. 8220;All those who came here provided positive feedback, including those who are not in touch with matters hi-tech and also those who admitted to being terrified of technological items,8221; said Suhas Mastu, a polling officer at Chinchpokli.

The officials said the demos have helped clear misconceptions about the EVMs, the most commonof which is that if you press a button several times, that many votes are recorded for a candidate. 8220;In fact, once you press any one of the 16 blue buttons, the machine will be automatically locked and will have to be reset by the polling officer for the next voter,8221; said Mastu, adding that even if a voter presses many buttons simultaneously, only one pressed a fraction of a second before the other ones will be registered by the EVM, thus eliminating any possibility of invalid votes.

Because of the simplification of procedure due to the machine, the voter will now simply have to sign his name in the voters8217; list and go ahead and press the button corresponding to the party of his/her choice, he added.

The EVM consists of two units: the 16-button ballot unit to be used by voters and the control unit manned by the polling officer to reset the machine after each vote. If there are more than 16 candidates, another 16-button ballot unit can be attached to the EVM. Each control unit can register up to3,200 votes in its memory chip, which is more than enough as the number of votes polled per booth are barely 1,200. At the end of the voting, all the control units from the booths will be sealed and kept in a strong room till October 6, when the counting will take place.

8220;Each control unit will have counted the votes on the day of the polls itself, and on October 6, the machines will simply flash the results in a jiffy,8221; said the state8217;s chief electoral officer D K Sankaran. He said even if a candidate demands a recount, the machines will display the same result as before.

8220;In all, 45 constituencies in India have been slated to use EVMs. This includes the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai and the corresponding Assembly consituencies. Each polling station will have two EVMs, one for the Lok Sabha election and one for Assembly. The system is foolproof and has already been put to use in Delhi and other places,8221; Sankaran pointed out.

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The Electronic Corporation of India Limited ECIL, a governmentof India undertaking, has the special propriety rights over the chip used in the EVM. 8220;ECIL has designed the EVM and the basic computer chip used in it. The machine is so simple and foolproof that it has been readily accepted by the political parties as well as the Election Commission,8221; said senior manager of ECIL C N Noronha.

The EVM difference

The Electronic Voting Machine costs Rs 4,700 per set, and runs on 6 volt battery.

Each EVM can register over 3,200 votes polled in a booth. In the end, all the EVMs will be sealed and kept in a strong room for the final counting on October 6.

Over 11,000 EVMs will be put to use in Mumbai for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, and 25 per cent machines will be kept in reserve.

Each polling station will have two EVMs, one for Lok Sabha and one for Assembly. All the 2,537 polling stations in Greater Mumbai district will use EVMs. In Mumbai suburban district, only the 2,300 booths in North-East constituency will useEVMs.

The paper work and ballot boxes have been dumped for the machine, but the manpower will still be the same, that is, six election officials per polling station.

No question of invalid votes, as EVMs will register only one button-press.