What are EVMs, VVPAT and how safe they are
TNN | Updated: Dec 6, 2018, 16:16 IST
NEW DELHI: The stage is set for the last of the assembly elections in 2018 with Telangana and Rajasthan going to the polls on December 7. Over 4.74 crore people are eligible to cast their vote in Rajasthan, and over 2.80 crore voters in Telangana. We take a look at how Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) work and how secure they are.
EVM WITH VVPAT IN A NUTSHELL
* An EVM has a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit along with VVPAT joined by a cable
* The VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) is an additional unit attached to the EVM, which prints a small slip of paper that carries the symbol, name and serial number of the candidate voted by voter, which is visible for 7 (seven) seconds in the viewing window
* The polling officer has the Control Unit, while the Balloting Unit & VVPAT is kept in a compartment for citizens to vote
* Unless the polling officer activates the Control Unit, one can’t vote.
* Unless the polling officer activates the Control Unit, one can’t vote.
* Each Balloting Unit has the option of 15 candidates and a NOTA button
* Two Ballot Units are usually joined to offer 16-31 candidates including NOTA
EVMs ARE…
* Standalone Machines
* No Radio Frequency transmission or reception possible - no wireless communication possible
* One Time Programmable (OTP) chip
* Dynamic coding of key press
* Real time clock for time and date stamping key press
HOW SECURE IS AN EVM?
* As a citizen presses a voting button on the Ballot Unit, the vote is recorded and the machine gets locked. Even if one presses that or any other button again, no vote will be recorded. EVMs ensure the principle of ‘one person, one vote’.
* No one can rewrite a program without damaging the sealed microchip in EVM. So EVM programming cannot be changed to facilitate a particular candidate or party EVMs can be taken away and damaged while capturing booths.
* For glitches, an officer, in charge of 10 polling stations, carries spare EVMs to replace out-of order machines .
EVM WITH VVPAT IN A NUTSHELL
* An EVM has a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit along with VVPAT joined by a cable
* The VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) is an additional unit attached to the EVM, which prints a small slip of paper that carries the symbol, name and serial number of the candidate voted by voter, which is visible for 7 (seven) seconds in the viewing window
* The polling officer has the Control Unit, while the Balloting Unit & VVPAT is kept in a compartment for citizens to vote
* Unless the polling officer activates the Control Unit, one can’t vote.
* Unless the polling officer activates the Control Unit, one can’t vote.
* Each Balloting Unit has the option of 15 candidates and a NOTA button
* Two Ballot Units are usually joined to offer 16-31 candidates including NOTA
EVMs ARE…
* Standalone Machines
* No Radio Frequency transmission or reception possible - no wireless communication possible
* One Time Programmable (OTP) chip
* Dynamic coding of key press
* Real time clock for time and date stamping key press
HOW SECURE IS AN EVM?
* As a citizen presses a voting button on the Ballot Unit, the vote is recorded and the machine gets locked. Even if one presses that or any other button again, no vote will be recorded. EVMs ensure the principle of ‘one person, one vote’.
* No one can rewrite a program without damaging the sealed microchip in EVM. So EVM programming cannot be changed to facilitate a particular candidate or party EVMs can be taken away and damaged while capturing booths.
* For glitches, an officer, in charge of 10 polling stations, carries spare EVMs to replace out-of order machines .
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