Lok Sabha Elections 2024: How do EVMs and VVPATs work?

The plea filed by ADR sought transparency in voters' fundamental rights and hold immense significance in the 2024 general elections

Before the country commenced the first phase of general elections on April 19, the Supreme Court of India on April 18 reserved order on petitions seeking complete verification of votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) filed a plea seeking to cross-verify votes cast by voters as 'counted as recorded' in the EVM with the VVPAT.

The petitioners argued that Election Commission of India (ECI) has not established a process for voters to confirm that their vote has been tallied as recorded, which undermines voter verifiability.

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The petitioners have expressed concerns regarding the potential for EVMs to malfunction or be manipulated in order to record votes in a party's favor and have a fundamental right to feel secure in the election process.

A VVPAT machine is attached to EVMs that enables voters to verify that their votes were cast as intended by generating a paper slip listing the name and symbol of the party the voter chose.

Voter verification is only done in dire circumstances, such as in reaction to fraud or computer mistake accusations but the petitioners have demanded for cross-verification of 100 percent EVM votes with VVPAT slips.

During the hearings, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta noted that electronic voting machines (EVMs) provide “absolutely accurate results” unless human prejudice taints them. They also noted that rising voter turnout over time is a sign that the public has faith in the system.

Advocate Nizam Pasha had suggested that voters be able to take home the VVPAT slip after they have cast their votes. The Supreme Court, however, has flagged the aspect of privacy on the suggested solution.

Senior advocate, Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, suggested that the light (currently on for just seven seconds) should be on for a long time so that a voter can see the VVPAT slip going into the box after the vote is cast.

He also highlighted that there exists a risk of manipulation as both EVMS and VVPATs have a “programmable chip” and that the ECI has previously denied sharing their “source code” on the ground that they constitute the intellectual property of the manufacturers. The petitioners also sought a reversal of ballot papers.

The Bench dismissed calls for a return to the paper ballot system, emphasizing how difficult and time-consuming elections are in India.

Although the SC has reserved its verdict, proceedings of this case will play a significant role as India starts polling for Lok Sabha elections of 2024.