The schedule for elections for constituting the 14th Lok Sabha has just been announced. According to the Election Commission, the massive exercise involving almost 675 million voters is to be carried in four phases beginning April 20. A significant feature of election management this time is the usage of electronic voting machines (EVM) in all polling booths in the country. This is in line with the EC’s efforts to improve the quality of election management with the usage of new technologies. EVMs were used in the last parliamentary elections as well as in a few assembly elections. Usage, however, was limited. The experience gained in the process has helped the EC to overcome all the issues related to the accurate and large-scale usage of the machines. The main concerns globally are security and integrity of the machines. According to the EC, these machines are tamper-proof, as they have microprocessors with ‘‘burnt-in’’ software that cannot be altered or tampered with. The data in the EVMs is retained even if the power pack which operates these portable machines is removed. Likewise, mechanical, electrical and software security features are incorporated in the machines to ensure their integrity. According to the EC, about 10.75 lakh machines will be required for the purpose and two public sector units, the Electronic Corporation of India Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited, have supplied most of them. These organisations are even looking at exporting to other countries. But globally not many nations have switched to this system. One of the major apprehensions is about security and reliability of the machines. Only Brazil has introduced EVMs fully. Major trials were undertaken to ensure flawless elections using EVMs for almost three years and the October 2002 Brazilian presidential elections were successfully conducted using four lakh machines. These elections were witnessed by observers from different parts of the world, including the US and the EU, to assess the functioning of the machines. In the US and UK there is a lot of public debate on the issue; however, they are also simultaneously considering e-voting whereby citizens could vote from the comfort of their homes and even kiosks. The US passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002 which mandated the installation of voting machines across the country. A few vendors were chosen but there was serious opposition to the move from many quarters and a few miscalculations and security breaches made this a major issue. The process thus proved to be a non-starter. In the UK, too, the government plans to start electronic voting by 2006 and has issued a consultation paper. But most analysts are against the move. There have been many suggestions to incorporate paper confirmation along with the electronic counting so that authenticity of the results can be ascertained. The EU is also at the forefront in determining how best electronic voting should be introduced. No wonder India’s experience with EVMs is being keenly watched. While the machines will make the election process much simpler and help reduce malpractices, it will also significantly reduce the usage of paper and related stationery. Traditionally much expenditure is incurred in printing, storing and transporting ballot papers. At the same time, EVMs allow quick and accurate counting, thereby making declaration of results much faster. However, given ever present apprehensions about electoral malpractices like booth capturing, in spite of police deployment, possibilities of criminal elements misusing and vandalising EVMs cannot be ignored. Although the presiding officer can shut down an EVM in case of booth capturing and thus render the machine invalid, still he could be over-powered. After all, not everything could be easily secure in an exercise involving seven lakh polling stations and a few more poll officials. EVMs will thus test the strength of India’s democracy and its determination to harness new technologies.
