Election Commission to introduce EVM and VVPAT system for more transparent electronic voting

NEW DELHI: In an effort to ensure more transparent electronic voting, the Election Commission is planning to introduce EVM and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail ( VVPAT), whose first field trials would be conducted in simulated elections at selected polling stations.

In VVPAT system, when voter presses button for the candidate of his choice in the Electronic Voting Machine, a paper ballot containing the serial number, name of the candidate and poll symbol will be printed, and the voter can verify it.

Introducing the new system to the media at the EC headquarters here, Deputy Election Commissioner Alok Shukla said "extensive laboratory tests" have been conducted on the prototype of the VVPAT system by the Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited ( ECIL).

He said the Commission has accepted suggestions by the technical expert committee on EVMs headed by P V Indiresan, former director of Madras IIT, and a field trial of the system would be conducted in realistic condition.

The Commission said two types of VVPAT system will be tested in field trial to be done in 35 polling stations where simulated elections will be held.

"In one system, the printer is completely sealed and inaccessible to the voter. It has a transparent window on the front side. The printed ballot remains in front of the transparent window for 5 seconds for the voter to verify it. Thereafter, it gets cut and automatically falls into a sealed box," the Commission said.

"In the other system, the printer is kept open. The printed ballot will get cut and fall in a tray in front of the printer. The voter will pick it up from the tray, verify it, fold it and bring it out of voting compartment and drop the same in a sealed box kept for this purpose in front of the Presiding Officer before leaving the polling station," it said.