Will VVPAT silence those sceptical of EVMs? (The EVM controversy in India)

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 Will VVPAT silence those sceptical of EVMs? (The EVM controversy in India)

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• EC to SC : The Opposition Parties had moved the Supreme Court against the Election Commission's decision to count VVPAT slips in only one polling station in each Assembly segment. The EC then told the SC that if it counts 50% of the VVPAT slips, then counting will be delayed by 6 days (VVPAT - Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail)
• VVPAT details : This device is an add-on to the EVM, and gives a paper proof of the vote cast. Once a voter casts the vote by pressing the button, a slip is printed showing that symbol. Slip is visible for 7 seconds. Then it is cut and dropped inside a box  (that gets counted later).
• Calibration and precautions : Prior to elections, the VVPAT machine is calibrated carefully. These are accessible only to polling officers. Machines are sealed. Only a few machines are later opened to tally for accuracy with EVM electronic records.  (1 per assembly constituency - EC claims that 100% accuracy observed till date)
• Ballot papers : Prior to 1998, election were conducted using ballot paper. Common malpractices then were - rigging, stuffing of ballot boxes, voter intimidation. And then invalid votes - voters putting the seals wrongly.
• Benefits of EVMs :

1. Voting process was easier, so invalid votes reduced
2. Quicker and easier tallying of votes
3. Scope for human errors down
4. Malpractices reduced as only 5 votes per min allowed

• Are EVMs safe? Regularly, people have questioned the safety of the EVMs. The EC has added many new safety features like dynamic coding, time-stamping of operations, tamper-detection, self-diagnostics, etc. And then, the VVPATs that rule out any internal frauds.
• Initial problems : In early days, the failure rate of VVPAT due to mfg. glitches was a big concern. It should be just 1 - 2%, but in LS by-elections 2017, it was 15%. But EVM unit failure was very low. EC gives back up machines to quickly replace the failed one.
• EC explanation : Transportation led to wear and tear and hardware problems. Extreme weather conditions did not help. With changes, the 2018 Assembly elections saw lower failure rates. In 2019, we will have 10.5 lakh VVPATs deployed! (total 10.35 lakh polling stations, 4125 assembly constituencies)
• Wanted a greater VVPAT recount : Opposition parties want more number of machines to be recounted, instead of just 1 booth per Assembly / LS constituency. They want 50% recount. The EC resisted saying it will delay results by 6 days! The ISI Kolkata has said that 479 EVMs and VVPATs verification (out of 10.35 lakh) would mean 99.9936% confidence level.
• Other suggestions : Some say that the EC should factor in the size of the state, population of constituency, and turnout, to ensure higher confidence level and low margin of error (hence, > 1 VVPAT counting per constituency). The SC too has asked the EC to do more.
• Summary : There is a burning argument over how many VVPATs should be cross-tallied to ensure a statistically high level of confidence in the polling process's integrity, for LS polls 2019.

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