Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) Machines

• Context (IE): A plea has been filed in the Madras HC to count 100% of the VVPAT machine printout slips attached to the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
• INDIA alliance has demanded that “Instead of the VVPAT slip falling in the box, it should be handed over to the voter who shall then place it in a separate ballot box after verifying his or her choice”.

About VVPATs

• VVPAT is an independent verification printer attached to EVMs.
• The use of VVPATs falls under Rule 49A of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, which states that every EVM shall have a control unit and a balloting unit.
• When a vote is cast, a slip is printed on the VVPAT printer containing the serial number, name, and symbol of the candidate who voted.
• This remains visible to the voter through a transparent window for seven seconds. After that, this printed slip automatically gets cut and falls into a sealed drop box.
• According to ECI, EVMs and VVPATs are separate entities and are not connected to any network.
• These were first used in Nagaland’s bye-election for the Noksen Assembly seat in 2013.
• The 2019 Lok Sabha elections became the first general election to have 100% of EVMs attached to VVPATs.

Significance of VVPAT

• It allows voters to verify that their votes have been recorded accurately.
• If there is a need, these printouts can later be counted.
• VVPAT machines can be accessed by polling officers only.
• EVMs and VVPATs try to ensure the massive election process is in tune with the latest technological advancements.
• VVPATs add another layer of transparency and reliability to convince voters about the sanctity of EVMs.
• Its verification helps to eliminate chances of EVM manipulation.
• Electoral fraud and rigging can be checked.
• EVMs and VVPATs also quicken the election process as counting votes on EVMs takes much less time than counting paper ballots.

Challenges

1. Technical Malfunctions
   • There have been instances of the machines malfunctioning, resulting in inaccurate printing or no printing.
2. Verification of Paper Trails
   • Another challenge is verifying the paper trails generated by the VVPAT machines.
3. Voter Confidence
   • The lack of transparency and accountability on the part of the EC has led to questions about the fairness and accuracy of the elections.
   • The SC in Dr. Subramanian Swamy v ECI (2013) held that VVPAT is an “indispensable requirement of free and fair elections”.

EC on VVPAT

• EC told the SC that verification of 20,600 VVPATs (Five randomly selected polling stations per Assembly seat) had been conducted.
• Not a single case of transfer of vote meant for candidate ‘A’ to candidate ‘B’ has been detected.
• Differences in the count, if any, have always been traceable to human errors like non-deletion of mock poll votes from the control unit of the EVM or the VVPAT.
• EC received 25 complaints out of the 118 crore voters who cast their votes. It said all these complaints were found to be false.
• The EC said 100% verification was a “regressive thought and tantamount to going back to the days of manual voting using ballot system”.
• Manual counting of all VVPAT slips would take time and introduce the potential for human error.