What are VVPAT machines and how does it ensure free and fair elections? Also discuss how challenging is implementing VVPAT in India?
Refer - The Hindu
IAS Parliament 8 years
KEY POINTS
VVPAT Machines
· Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail is a method that provides feedback to voters.
· It is an independent verification printer machine and is attached to electronic voting machines.
· When a voter presses a button in the EVM, a paper slip is printed through the VVPAT.
· The slip contains the poll symbol and name of the candidate.
· After being visible to the voter from a glass case in the VVPAT for seven seconds, the ballot slip will be cut and dropped into the drop box in the VVPAT machine and a beep will be heard.
· VVPAT machines ensure free and fair elections as it
a) Allows voters to verify that their votes are cast correctly
b) Detects possible election fraud or malfunction
c) Provides a means to audit the stored electronic results
Challenges
· It increases the expenditure of elections in India putting extra burden on tax payer.
· Giving awareness to all stakeholders including voters and political parties is time consuming process.
· Requires more manpower to operate and install.
· Operational difficulties such as Jamming, ran out of Ink will cause addition trouble to already stressed staffs.
· Logistic difficulties in storing, transporting and disposing verified papers are not properly addressed.
· User friendly measures for visually challenged persons to access VVPAT are not introduced.
