1. Election Commission of India
A State-of-the-Art, User Friendly
and Tamper Proof
Electronic Voting Machine
(EVM)

2. Presentation
• The Genesis
– Concept, Challenge, Solution
• Concerns
• Remedies
• EVM
– Technological Features
– Description
– Operation
• Polling, Closing, Counting & Results
• Advantages
• Statistics of Interest

3. 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, transportati
on and security of Ballot
Paper to the exchequer
Top: Ballot paper awaiting despatch
Bottom: EVMs in store room

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Remedies
• All mechanical, electrical and
software security features are
Counting
provided to ensure the integrity
Ballot paper way
of the voting data
• 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Sub-Units of EVM
Interconnecting Cable
Control Unit Ballot Unit

12. Ballot Unit - Details
Ready Lamp
Slide Switch Window
Candidate‟s Button
Candidate‟s Lamp
Ballot Paper Screen

13. Ballot Unit - Internal parts
Ready Lamp
Slide Switch
Candidate‟s Button
Masking Tab

14. Control Unit
ON Lamp Busy Lamp
Display Section
Candidate Set Section
Result Section
Ballot Section
Ballot Button
Total Button

15. Control Unit - View of Bottom
Compartment
Power Switch
Connector for
Connector for
Auxiliary Unit
Interconnecting Cable
Bottom Compartment
Cover

16. Control Unit - Display Section
4-Digit
Display Panel
ON Lamp
Busy Lamp
2-Digit
Display Panel

17. 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

18. Control Unit - Result Section
Result I
Clear button
button
Close
button
Frames for
Inner
Result II
Paper seal
latches
button

19. Control Unit - Ballot Section
Total button
Ballot button

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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.

24. Counting & Results
• The “RESULT-1” button is pressed to display the
results
• The results are then noted.

25. SEQUENCE OF OPERATION OF BUTTONS
ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINE
CLEAR
RESULT-1 CAND. SET
BALLOT
CLOSE

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. Thank You