Introduction

Recent Developments: A political alliance, has requested a meeting with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to discuss and suggest changes regarding the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines.
Proposal: The alliance proposes that VVPAT slips be handed to voters to place in a separate ballot box, with 100% counting of these slips, to enhance trust in the electoral process.

What are VVPATs?

Function and Purpose: VVPAT machines, attached to EVMs, print a slip showing the voter’s choice, allowing voters to verify their vote for seven seconds before the slip drops into a secured box.
Development History: The concept emerged in 2010, leading to the creation of prototypes by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL). After trials and feedback, the design was approved in February 2013.
Implementation: The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, were amended to incorporate VVPATs. They were first used in Nagaland’s Noksen Assembly constituency in 2013 and were implemented in all polling stations by the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

EC’s Decision Process: In 2018, the ECI consulted the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) to determine a statistically robust sample size for VVPAT slip verification.
Existing Protocol: Initially, VVPAT slips of one randomly selected polling station per Assembly constituency were counted. This was increased to five polling stations per Assembly seat after a Supreme Court judgment in 2019.
ISI Recommendation: The ISI suggested counting VVPAT slips from 479 EVMs to ensure a high confidence level that the proportion of defective EVMs is less than 2%.

Current Verification Adequacy: The EC argues that the current practice of verifying VVPATs from five polling stations per Assembly seat exceeds the ISI’s recommendation.
Reliability Record: The EC highlights that in past elections, no cases of vote misattribution were detected in VVPAT checks, attributing discrepancies to human errors.
Concerns over Full Verification: The EC views 100% VVPAT verification as regressive, time-consuming, and prone to human error, akin to manual ballot voting.

Debate on Electoral Integrity: The discussion around VVPAT verification reflects ongoing concerns about ensuring electoral integrity and public trust in the voting process.
Challenges Ahead: Balancing the need for efficient electoral processes with the imperative of maintaining voter confidence remains a critical challenge for the ECI and political parties in India.