EVMsafeguarding democracy

Anupam Saraph, PhD, Democracy activist

@zuola

democracy is a set of game rules that,in their gradual process towards perfection,

independent individuals and organizations in a civil society seek tomaximize their interests using transparent and nonviolent means

2009

EVMs come to polling booths

People go to EVMs

Total EVM's used: 1.025 millionOperational speed of EVMs: maximum of 5 votes per minute

Number of votes one EVM can register: 3,840Number of candidates an EVM can hold: maximum of 64

2009 Lok Sabha

Is the vote in the box?

10 days before polling was over files downloaded from

ECI had votes polled data

6th May 2009

When counting was overfiles downloaded from

ECI had no votes polled data

16th May 2009

How can EVM votes be guaranteed to be the

peoples mandate?

How can the conductor of polls certify

them to be free or fair?

How can the widening voting dividebe bridged?

Receipts

Voter Receipts

Audits

Open-Architecture Audits

http://eci.gov.in/AuditTheElection

Access to candidate numbers

Access to vote numbersAccess to voter ID

Info on legitimate votespolled for each candidate

at a polling station

Info on legitimatevotes at eachpolling station Info on legitimate

voters at a pollingbooth

Info on legitimate votespolled at a polling station

Access to polling officer ID

Bridge the voting divide

Take EVMs to people

Take EVMs to people

45,000 ATMs 471 million mobile

subscribers

127 million phones capable of internet access

45 million internet users 13 million DTH subscribers

37 million land line phones

675 million registered voters

380 million voted in 2009 Lok Sabha828,804 polling stations in 2009 Lok Sabha

Lower costs!

Single Phase

Provide receiptsOpen-audits

ubiquitous EVMs

EVM Safeguards

democracy is a set of game rules that,in their gradual process towards perfection, independent

individuals and organizations in a civil society seek to maximizetheir interests using transparent and nonviolent means

@zuola

voting is a game of expression of interests where,in its gradual process towards perfection,

independent individuals and organizations in a democracy seek tomaximize their involvement using transparent and nonviolent means

@anupamsaraph

Voter Receipts: noneConducting of Polls: Huge paraphernelia

Certification of Polls: by conductor of pollsOutreach: Huge Voting divideCost: more than 10,000 crores

2009 Lok Sabha

Not inspiring confidence or trustNon-transparent

ControversialPoor participation

Inconvenient and multi-phase

2009 Lok Sabha

Total EVM's used: 472 millionOperational speed of EVMs: unlimited votes per minute

Number of votes one EVM can register: unlimitedNumber of candidates an EVM can hold: unlimited

Next Lok Sabha

Voter Receipts: 2 partConducting of Polls: no paraphernelia

Certification of Polls: by anyoneOutreach: to every voter

Cost: fraction of previous

Next Lok Sabha

Double-record accounting with receiptHighly transparent

Third party independent open auditsEasy polling with larger participation

Safer, convenient single-phase polling

Next Lok Sabha