It's a system, not machine

All political parties have contributed to the erosion of confidence in the electoral system and thus in democracy. This is the real tragedy of the EVMs.

- JAGDEEP S. CHHOKAR

EVMs have had a tumultuous history, all of which have been extensively documented, and therefore need not be repeated. More than one million EVMs were used in all 543 parliamentary constituencies in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

Within five years, serious doubts were being raised by a lot of people, including BJP veteran L.K. Advani. G.V.L. Narasimha Rao’s Democracy At Risk! Can We Trust Our Electronic Voting Machines?, with a preface by Advani, was published in 2010. Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines were introduced for further transparency and verifiability in poll process. This usage continued and so did the complaints, now resulting in filing of petitions in various courts including the Supreme Court. The apex court ordered counting of VVPAT slips in five polling booths per constituency, but that did not satisfy critics and the furore continues.

EVM or EVS

In the beginning, EVMs were supposed to be ‘standalone’ machines, which meant that they were not connected to or contacted by any external source or device. This was one of the prime arguments in support of their integrity and their inability to be manipulated in any manner. And that was correct.

However, with the addition of VVPATs and further developments, the arrangement now consists of three separate but connected machines—the EVM (which the Election Commission now describes as a ballot unit on its website), the VVPAT, and a control unit.