Question

what are EVMS and why they are important ​

Answer 1

Answer:

An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is an electronic device used for recording votes. EVMs came as a replacement to ballot papers and was first used in No. 70 Parvur assembly constituency in Kerala in 1982.

An EVM comprises of a control unit which is placed with the polling officer and a balloting unit which is placed inside the voting compartment.

The role of the polling officer is to release a ballot by pressing the ballot button on the control unit. This will allow the voter to cast his vote by pressing the blue button on the balloting unit against the candidate and symbol of the voter's choice. Since 2001, the issue of unreliability of EVM's has been raised many times but the election commission has ruled out any scope for manipulation of votes through EVM's.

EVM's run on normal battery and they do not require electricity. An EVM can be used to record a maximum of 2,000 votes. If an EVM stops working it is replaced with a new one and votes recorded until that time are safe in the memory of the control unit. The control unit can store the result in its memory until the data is deleted or cleared. Changing of the paper roll is strictly prohibited at polling stations.

The arrangement of names of candidates in the ballot paper is in alphabetical order, first candidates from national political parties figure and then from other state registered parties. EVM's are given to the polling station in two stages of randomization by the EVM tracking software produced by the commission.

As per the provisions of Rule 49MA of Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, the presiding officer can obtain a written declaration from the voter if they claim that the vote cast is incorrect. If the voter gives the written declaration referred to in sub-rule (1) of Rule 49MA, the presiding officer can permit the elector to record a test vote in the voting machine in his presence and see the paper slip is generated.

If the claim is found to be true, the presiding officer will report quickly to the returning officer, stop further casting of votes in that voting machine and act as per the guidelines are given by the returning officer.

The technical experts committee of the Election Commission in collaboration with two PSU's is in charge of devising and designing the EVM's.

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) also plays an imperative role in voting. VVPAT is another independent machine attached to the EVM which helps the voter verify the vote. After casting the vote, a slip is printed which contains the serial number, name, and symbol of the candidate and is visible through a window for seven seconds. Post this, the printed slip automatically falls in the sealed drop box of the VVPAT.

Only engineers from Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited conduct checking of EVMs and VVPATs.

Advantages of using EVM's

Voting by EVM's has made the process simpler as one does not need to mark a ballot paper and put it in the ballot box. In an EVM, the voter has to just press the blue button against the candidate and symbol of his choice and the vote gets recorded.

The scope of invalid votes is eliminated which could not be possible in the paper ballot system.

The counting process is very quick and the result can be declared in hours as opposed to days.

There is no need for printing millions of ballot papers. This leads to saving of money on account of paper, printing, transportation, storage and distribution.

There are both audio and visual indications for the voter to be assured that his vote has been recorded correctly. As soon as a voter presses the blue button, the lamp against the symbol of his chosen candidate glows red and a long beep is heard.

Answer 2

Answer:

Explanation:ectronic Voting Machine (also known as EVM ) is voting using electronic means to either aid or take care of the chores of casting and counting votes. An EVM is designed with two units: the control unit and the balloting unit.