08 Jan 2024: The Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is a device used in India to conduct elections. It was first conceived in 1977 by the Election Commission, and a prototype was developed in 1979 by the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL). The use of EVMs was first introduced in the general election in Kerala in May 1982, but the absence of a specific law prescribing its use led to the Supreme Court striking it down. In 1989, the Parliament amended the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to create a provision for the use of EVMs in the elections. Since then, EVMs have been used in every State Assembly election, and in the 2004 General Election to the Lok Sabha, EVMs were used in all 543 Parliamentary Constituencies in the country.
Indian EVMs are stand-alone machines built with write-once-read memory. They are produced with secure manufacturing practices and are self-contained, battery-powered, and lack any networking capability. They do not have any wireless or wired internet components and interfaces. The M3 version of the EVMs includes the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system. In recent elections, various opposition parties have alleged faulty EVMs after they failed to defeat the incumbent. After the rulings of the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India, the Election Commission of India (ECI) introduced the paper trail in EVMs.
EVMs and tampering
The use of EVMs in India's electoral procedure over the years has given its voters confidence. EVMs have replaced paper ballots throughout the country from 2001 onwards. The objective of using EVM technology in India was to strengthen the electoral processes eliminate booth capturing and create more competitive and fairer elections. The efficiency and quick turnaround time observed with EVMs becomes particularly crucial when they are used in a democracy of India's size with a complex multi-party system. The scale of the recently held general election in India bears testimony to how EVM technology addresses electoral fraud and simplifies the voting process.
India is now moving towards becoming a 'techno-democracy.' The reform of its electoral system has been truly innovative and revolutionary in reshaping democracy, development, and technology. The impact of using EVMs on electoral fraud, democracy, and development has been measured in a research study published in 2017. The study found that more precise and efficient voting procedures boost the strength of democratic institutions. The literature on democracy and development suggests that enhanced representation, giving the people a voice in the political process, is a key factor in promoting development.
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