The Election Commission (EC) has announced that it is gearing up to make the voting system watertight by introducing voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) by the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The EC also dismisses speculation over the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs), saying the technology is dependable.
“The ECI unequivocally reiterates that given effective technical and administrative safeguards, EVMs are not tamperable and the integrity of electoral process is preserved,” the poll panel said in a statement.
VVPAT will allow a paper slip to be produced bearing the name and symbol of the candidate with a recording of the vote in the control unit. A printer will be attached to the balloting unit and will be kept in the voting section, under the VVPAT.
In any case of argument, the slip can be calculated to confirm the result being presented on the EVM.
The VVPATs were accepted by the EC in 2013. They were used in the Nagaland by-election the same year. Even in recent Goa assembly elections, VVPATs were used in all constituencies.
