The EVM distraction

• The debate surrounding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in India has become one of the most enduring, yet misplaced, controversies in Indian democracy.
• Despite the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, skepticism remains, distracting the public from more pressing issues regarding electoral malpractices.
• Historically, debates on democracy in India were focused on more substantive matters, such as restructuring the party system and electoral reforms.
• However, as time has progressed, the conversation has been reduced to issues of electoral integrity—specifically, the reliability of EVMs.

The Current Debate:

• The outcome of recent Lok Sabha elections showed that if any conspiracy of large-scale EVM tampering existed, it would not result in the ruling party losing key states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, where they were in power.
• This reasoning alone should lay to rest the suspicion surrounding EVMs. However, the debate rages on, fueled by the Election Commission’s (EC) inability to transparently address concerns, particularly its delays in declaring final turnout figures. This has led to wild speculation about fraud, including a claim that 4.65 crore votes were added after polling.
• Similarly, concerns about mismatches between votes polled and counted in as many as 537 constituencies during the 2024 elections have further fueled the debate, although no conclusive evidence of large-scale fraud has been presented.

What Really Needs Attention:

• While the country continues to debate EVMs, more serious issues surrounding electoral reforms are ignored.
• For instance, a report by an independent panel highlights that the unequal access to media, state resources, and money significantly undermined the fairness of the elections. These systemic issues need more focus than the mechanics of the polling process itself.

Moving Forward: Building Consensus:

• To finally put this controversy to rest, a national consensus must be developed around a few points:
• Avoid returning to ballot papers, which can introduce more complications.
• Introduce mechanisms for voters to verify their vote through VVPAT without handing over the slips.
• Ensure that the VVPAT paper slips are counted as the official record, not the EVM’s display.
• Moreover, the EC must improve transparency by publicly declaring the final number of eligible and actual voters in every booth and constituency, along with other necessary forms, to ease concerns about irregularities.

Conclusion:

• India, as a global IT hub and the self-proclaimed "mother of democracy," should move beyond the debate about voting machines and focus on the design of democracy itself. This shift will help foster genuine democratic reforms, ensuring a fairer and more transparent electoral process.