Electronic Voting in India: Frequently Asked Questions Pradeep Sharma Global Practice Meeting on Electoral Systems and Processes, Manila November 15-18, 2004 United Nations Development Programme

Presentation Overview Elections in India -basic facts Electronic Voting Machine -FAQs Impact and Lessons

Elections in India: Basic Facts Total population: 1 billion+ Registered voters (total electorate): 671.5 million Voters who voted in last elections in May: 380 million Parliamentary seats: 543 Number of EVMs used: 1 million (including reserve) World’s largest e-voting Number of polling booths: 687,402 Average number of candidates: 8.7 Total number of candidates: 4648 Total expenditure: $ 286 million

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Electronic Voting Machines: FAQs What is an EVM? How is it different from the conventional system of voting? When was the EVM first introduced in elections? Can EVM be used in areas where there is no electricity? What is the maximum number of votes that can be cast in EVMs? What is the maximum number of candidates EVMs can cater to? What if the number of candidates in a constituency exceeds this number?

Electronic Voting Machines: FAQs What if an EVM in a polling station goes out of order? Who has devised the EVMs? What is the cost of EVMs? Is it not too expensive? Will it not cause problems for the illiterate voters? Can booth-capturing be prevented by the use of EVMs? Is it possible to use EVMs if there are simultaneous elections for Parliament and State legislation Assembly? What are the advantages of using EVMs? Does the use of EVMs slow down the pace of polling?

Electronic Voting Machines: FAQs Can EVMs be used for mixing the “ballot papers”? How long can the Control Unit store results in its memory? What if an election petition is filed and recounting ordered by a court of law? Is it possible to vote more than once by pressing the button again and again? How can a voter be sure that EVM is working and her vote is recorded? Is it true that due to short-circuit voter can get an electric shock?

Electronic Voting Machines: FAQs Can the EVMs be re-programmed to favour a particular candidate? Is it not difficult to transport EVMs to polling stations? Can exposure to elements damage the EVMs? Do these need AC rooms? Can the EVMs show at a point of time total number of votes polled? What if the number of candidates is only 10, smaller than the capacity of one balloting unit, 16? Can votes be wasted by pressing numbers 11 to 16? Ballot boxes are engraved. What about EVMs?

Electronic Voting Machines: FAQs Is there a provision of issuing tendered ballot papers when EVMs are used? How can polling agents be satisfied that the EVMs are empty before the commencement of the poll? How do EVMs avoid the possibility of recording further votes after the close of the poll? What has been the rate of malfunctioning? Has there been any resistance to EVMs from political parties? How about civil society? Are the EVMs networked?

EVMs: Impact and Lessons Positive Outcomes: Illiterate voters took to it without any difficulty Least violent elections in recent past Low cost No tampering with technology Speedy counting and declaration of results No invalid votes Political parties demonstrated high level of maturity Flawless, fully electronic voting -ECI took in stride Can other countries emulate? Size of electorate Cost a consideration? Literacy levels and spread of IT

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