Elections 2014: 17 Lakh Electronic Voting Machines to Be Used in Coming Elections

EVMs

Elections 2014: 17 Lakh Electronic Voting Machines to Be Used in Coming Elections

Electronic voting machines were first used in 1998 election in India. EVMs help in preventing rigging of votes as tampering them is not possible. For the coming elections 2014, nearly 17 lakh EVMs are going to be used.

Hyderabad: Electronic voting machines completely changed the election process in India. They helped in preventing rigging and booth capturing. For this elections, more than 17 lakh electronic voting machines are going to be used. This number is nearly twelve percent more than the number of machines used in previous elections. If EVMs were not introduced nearly 7700 metric tons of paper was required for printing ballet papers.

Electronic voting machines were designed in India in 1989-90. After many experiments and examinations, they are brought to the present form. First EVMs were designed by ECIL in Hyderabad. Each machines costs around Rs. 5,500. This is much less than the cost of paper ballets and ballet boxes together.

The first electronic voting machines were used for the first time in India in 1998. These were used experimentally in the assembly elections of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi in 1998. Later they were introduced all across the country.

Each EVM can record 3840 votes. Usually each polling booth will have fifteen hundred votes and thus one electronic voting machine is sufficient for each polluting booth. Votes of nearly 16 candidates can be registered in these machines without any problem. Making small changes to the machines will allow recording the votes of 64 candidates. If the number of candidates crosses 64, old system of ballet papers will have to be followed.

Electronic voting machines work even without electricity. These work on 6 volt battery. if any EVM is not working, officials keep ready another machine to be used. Tampering of electronic voting machines is impossible and using these will help prevent rigging. Election commission has given the responsibility of making 2.5 lakh new EVMs for the coming elections. New features may be added in them.

With the increase of spare parts increased double, the cost of electronic voting machines may also increase but ECIL did not announce the actual price of them. Bharat Electronics Limited also will make 1.26 lakh machines for the elections.