Election Commission of India

A State-of-the-Art, User Friendly

and Tamper Proof

Electronic Voting Machine

(EVM)
 Presentation

• The Genesis
– Concept, Challenge, Solution
• Concerns
• Remedies
• EVM
– Technological Features
– Description
– Operation
• Polling, Closing, Counting & Results
• Advantages
• Statistics of Interest
 Genesis - Concept
• Idea mooted by the Chief
Election Commissioner in
1977
• Pros and cons of E-voting
vis-à-vis ballot paper
analysed by High Power
Committees
• Recommended E-voting to
save avoidable and recurring
expenditure on printing,
storage, transportation and
security of Ballot Paper to
the exchequer
Top: Ballot paper awaiting despatch
Bottom: EVMs in store room
 Genesis - Challenge
• Evolve a machine which
would fit into the existing
Election Procedure
• Appear familiar to the voter
• Addressing the skepticism of
the Political Parties and
Intelligentsia including Press
• Evolving a machine and a
procedure which would be
transparent and acceptable
to all

Top: Ballot box being carried to the polling station

Bottom: EVMs being carried to the polling station
 Genesis - Solution
• Electronics Corporation of
India Limited (ECIL) a
leading Public Sector
Company engaged in the
design and manufacture of
professional electronics was
commissioned to design a
machine to prove the
feasibility
• Once feasibility was
established, Bharat
Electronics Limited (BEL) a
second Public Sector
Company was co-opted into
the exercise

Voters waiting to cast their vote

 Genesis - Solution
Voting the Ballot box way
• Both the companies (ECIL &
BEL) brought out models
with a common User
Interface in 1980
• The machines were
extensively tried out at
locations across the country
• Publicity campaigns were
run in the press and other
media
• Seminars conducted by
Election Commission of India
in various forums
• Feedback obtained used to
Voting the EVM way fine-tune the machine
 Concerns
• How secure is the data ?
• Can the data be tampered
with ?
• How does the machine
operate in remote areas
without electric power ?
• What happens if the power
fails in the middle of the
voting process ?
• Can the data be stored long
enough to be used as
evidence in a court of law in
case of electoral disputes ?
Top: EVM being demonstrated to the press
Middle: EVM being demonstrated to VIPs
Bottom: Address to the press on EVMs
 Remedies
• All mechanical, electrical and
software security features are
provided to ensure the integrity Counting
of the voting data Ballot paper way
• It is independent of mains power
and operates on a special
power pack
• It is tamper-proof and error free
• It incorporates a microprocessor
that has ‘burnt-in’ software code
which cannot be altered or
retrieved
• All the data is recorded on non-
volatile dual redundant memory
chips and can be retained for
over 6 months even when the
power pack is removed
Counting - EVM way
 EVM – Technology Features
• Centres around state-of-the-art microprocessor with
built-in PROM storing the software code which
cannot be retrieved or altered
• Reliable, robust and error free software
• Legacy software with machine codes used to
preserve integrity and security
• Double redundant resilient memory storage for
securely retaining data without a need for a backup
battery
• User friendly operation sequence
• Portable and easy to operate
• Custom made to fit into the existing pattern
 EVM – Technology Features

• Provision is made on all the sub-units for sealing to

ensure that the units are not tampered with
• Each EVM can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates
with 4 Ballot Units cascaded
• The EVM can be used for conducting “TWO”
simultaneous polls.
• EVMs to conduct up to “FOUR” or “MORE”
simultaneous polls to suit the electoral systems of
other countries are developed and demonstration
models available
 Sub-Units of EVM
Interconnecting Cable

Control Unit Ballot Unit

Ballot Unit - Details

Ready Lamp
Slide Switch Window
Candidate’s Button

Candidate’s Lamp

Ballot Paper Screen

Ballot Unit - Internal parts

Ready Lamp

Slide Switch

Candidate’s Button

Masking Tab
 Control Unit

ON Lamp Busy Lamp

Display Section
Candidate Set Section

Result Section

Ballot Section
Ballot Button
Total Button
 Control Unit - View of Bottom
Compartment

Power Switch

Connector for Connector for

Interconnecting Cable Auxiliary Unit

Bottom Compartment
Cover
 Control Unit - Display Section

4-Digit
Display Panel

ON Lamp

Busy Lamp

2-Digit
Display Panel
 Control Unit - Candidate Set Section
Candidate set section Candidate set section
inner door outer door

Provision for
thread seal

Latch

Candidate set
Power pack button
compartment
Plug for Provision for
power pack Thread seal
 Control Unit - Result Section
Result I
button Clear button

Close
button

Result II Inner Frames for

button latches Paper seal
 Control Unit - Ballot Section

Total button
Ballot button
 Polling

• The voter is identified from the voters list and

records his presence by a signature or thumb
impression
• The Presiding Officer presses the “Ballot” button on
the Control Unit permitting one vote
• The voter then proceeds to the polling cubicle and
after perusing the ballot paper on the Ballot Unit,
presses the key against the candidate of his choice
 Polling

• A red lamp glows indicating to the voter that his vote

has been cast in favour of that candidate
• The casting of the vote results in a beep in the
Control Unit indicating to the Presiding Officer that a
vote has been cast
• He then proceeds to release another vote by
pressing the “Ballot” button and the process
continues
 Closing

• The cap on the “Close

Button” is removed and
the button pressed
• The cap is then
replaced
• The unit is then
switched “Off” and the
interconnecting cable
disconnected
 Counting & Results

• The Power pack /

Battery is checked for
health by pressing the
TOTAL Button

• After getting ready to

note down the result,
the green paper seal
over RESULT-1 Button
is pierced and
RESULT-1 Button is
pressed.
 Counting & Results
• The “RESULT-1” button is pressed to display the
results
• The results are then noted.
SEQUENCE OF OPERATION OF BUTTONS
ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINE

CLEAR

RESULT-1 CAND. SET

CLOSE BALLOT
 Advantages
• Modernises the election process
• User friendly – can be used even by illiterates
• Simple to operate and can be installed in a short time
• Preserves voting secrecy
• No scope for invalid votes
• Facilitates quick and accurate counting – possible to
declare results instantaneously
• Re-usable by simply erasing votes recorded in earlier
poll
 Advantages

• Huge expenditure involved in printing, storing

and transportation and security of ballot paper
can be avoided
• Lowers operating costs
• Easier to manage with less demand on man-
power
• Provision can be made to connect to a
“CENTRAL STATION” to consolidate and
display / record the results countrywide
 Statistics of Interest
• Around one million machines
deployed during Lok Sabha,
2004 polls
• Low failure rate
• Costs around US $ 300
• Estimated saving on the
switchover to EVM is Approx
US $ 40 million
• Political Parties and
Intelligentsia who initially
were skeptical now endorse
the machine for its veracity

EVM being demonstrated to voters before

the recent elections held in the state of
Jammu & Kashmir
Thank You