Understanding EVM

Mayawati in a press conference has cast doubts that EVMs have been managed in favour of ruling party BJP.

Why use EVMs?
EVMs are used because

• They save costs of production and printing ballot paper
• Cost of transportation and storage of ballot paper
• Substantial reduction in requirement of counting staff and corresponding savings in remuneration paid
• EVMs allow for faster counting
• EVMs prevent invalid votes from being cast as the person has to only press the blue button against the candidate instead of stamping a ballot paper properly and folding the ballot paper horizontally and vertically.
• EVMs are found easier to use than ballot paper by illiterate people

It is estimated EVMs save 10,500 tons of ballot paper for a national election.

What does the election commission do to prevent tampering of EVMs?
First Level Check
First Level check is done before candidate list is finalized. First level check involves clearing of earlier poll data from EVMs, visual inspection of Control and Ballot Unit, conducting mock polls, Demonstration of printout of result, sealing of control unit with pink seal (Detailed explanation below)

Once candidate list is finalized again EVMs are prepared with similar process as First Level check.

Conducting Mock Polls:
For each EVM votes are casted against all 16 candidates observing the result and then clearing mock poll data to the satisfaction of representatives of candidate who do the mock poll themselves.
Signature of representatives of candidate is registered as a token of having done mock poll themselves.

Further Atleast 1000 mock votes are polled in 10% of the EVMs in mock polling.

Pink paper seal applied for first level check (same process done before candidate list is finalized) is not damaged during the mock poll to ensure control unit of EVM is not tampered with.

Demonstration of Results of mock polling :
A printout of the results of mock poll as well as a sequential print out of every vote polled during the mock poll is taken out for at least 10% of EVMs and shown to the representatives of political parties.
Representatives of candidates are allowed to pick machines randomly for this purpose.
Signatures of representatives of candidates is registered as a token of having seen the print out and confirm that there is no discrepancy between the votes polled during the mock poll and results in the print out.

Sealing of Ballot Unit and after mock polling:
Ballot units are sealed with special pink paper seal supplied by India security press, Nasik in the presence of representatives of candidates allowing representatives to sign the seal and note down the serial number of pink seal. Again a register to note serial number of pink seal and unique id of ballot unit.


Photo copies of this register is given free of cost to all candidates once preparation is over.

Thus the EVMs go through 2 checks in presence of all political party representatives with their consent to ensure there is no malfunctioning of EVMs.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_voting_in_India
http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/CurrentElections/ECI_Instructions/ins23092010.pdf
http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/CurrentElections/ECI_Instructions/ins_05082010.pdf
http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/evm.aspx