Electronic Voting to Bolster World’s Largest Elections

As India approaches its next general elections, the world turns its eyes to this monumental democratic process, where it is expected that incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi will vie for an unprecedented third term. This electoral contest is not just a measure of political winds, but also a testament to the technological advancements that have revolutionized voting in the world's largest democracy.

When Modi was sworn in as the 14th Prime Minister of India in 2014, the employment of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had already established itself as the backbone of the Indian electoral framework. Fast forward to the present day, and these devices, developed by the state-owned Electronics Corporation of India and Bharat Electronics, have become emblematic of the country's commitment to election automation.

The introduction of EVMs, which occurred between 1998 and 2001, marked a significant departure from the traditional use of paper ballots. The transformation was aimed at addressing and mitigating the prevalent electoral frauds that marred India's electoral integrity, such as booth capturing and ballot stuffing.

Studies and observational data over the years have consistently provided evidence that EVMs have successfully curbed fraudulent practices, notably reducing the incidence of false ballots and rejection rates due to unclear marking that were common with paper ballots.

EVMs have been instrumental in elevating the inclusivity of the electoral process. Post-poll surveys have shown a notable increase in turnout among vulnerable populations—including women, the elderly, and less-educated voters—pointing towards the empowering nature of the technology.

Despite the progress election administration has seen since the introduction of the technology, concerns about the integrity of India’s EVMs have been raised by experts. Madhav Deshpande, a prominent figure in the technology community, points out the vulnerabilities inherent in EVM technology, which, although not connected to the internet and hence not hackable, still leave room for manipulation. These concerns stem from the fact that EVMs are based on older technology that has not kept pace with advancements, leading to gaps that could potentially be exploited.

In the upcoming elections, with 900 million voters anticipated to participate, India's electronic voting system will again be at the forefront, consolidating its status as the standard and preferred method for conducting elections in the country. EVMs, with their proven track record, are set to play a pivotal role in what is to be the largest democratic exercise in history.

Democracy Day: Developing countries use technology to empower their citizens

Developing countries are now beginning to realize the power of technology in helping them deliver services more efficiently and provide their citizens with the tools needed for them to get involved in government initiatives more – especially in elections.

Asia and Africa are blazing the trail in this trend.  In the past ten years, countries such as India, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe have rolled out innovations to improve the transparency, security, precision and reliability of their elections, positively impacting their democracies by committing to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, the theme for Democracy Day 2016.

In India, the authorities have focused on a plan to improve their education system through e-government, guaranteeing better management and attention to the students in the country’s schools.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited startups and investors to join the efforts to develop automated voting machines that meet international security standards (such as printed voting vouchers), adding mechanisms that make voting easier and more accessible.

Governments in Africa have shown an approach focused on technology that modernizes electoral registries and makes voter authentication more effective.  Uganda successfully tried out a biometric system that was deployed at the polling centres, considerably reducing the possibilities of fraud.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is analyzing the implementation of biometrics for the 2018 elections, in order to improve the electoral system by making it more inclusive and reliable.

The free world needs to adapt to the rapid advancements in technology and learn to harness its great power if it is to solve the many challenges confronting democracies nowadays.

School in Northern India embraces the future of e-voting

A lot has been said about bolstering the level of political engagement among today's youth. Many young people from all around the world can feel as if they have been disenfranchised, ignored by the current politicians who focusing much more on the needs and issues of the older demographic. Many youth can feel as if the political climate is irrelevant and corrupt, feeling as if their actions, their voices and their votes simply do not matter. This needs to change, as today's youth will be tomorrow's leaders.

Interest in politics and the democratic process must start from a young age, engaging the fertile minds of children and teenagers. Just as there has been an increased push in encouraging children to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects, there should be a similar push to get them involved in the present and the future of the political process. And for a lot of today's youth, this means that the political process must also be modernized and brought up to speed with current technology. The traditional paper ballot can feel archaic and irrelevant, while e-voting processes can feel relevant and meaningful.

And indeed, this philosophy has been wholeheartedly supported by at least one school in Northern India. At the DC Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 7, Panchkula in the Northern area of India, students were able to elect their school council representatives using modern electronic voting technology. Candidates made their speeches in front of the student body, convincing them why they should be elected into student government. The students, as well as non-teaching staff, were then able to exercise their democratic right by e-voting.

The political process used at this secondary school is not unlike the e-voting systems used in formal governments in places such as Estonia. The voting students had their identities authenticated using their I-cards and then proceeded to cast their digital ballot. It is important to instil this interest in the power and responsibility of the vote in young people so they can best participate in local, state and federal government when they become of age too.

As the world's single largest democracy, India is also home to a growing number of young people who are passionate about and engaged in the political process. The electorate in India is youthful and tech-savvy and the democratic process needs to mirror and support this growing desire for modern technology. Voters should be able to register in an electronic manner, just as they should be able to cast their ballots digitally and the ballots should be counted electronically too. The entire process can benefit greatly from the intelligent and well-audited implementation of technology. Even for Indians who are living abroad, remote e-voting infrastructure should be in place.

Several key lessons can be taken away from the recent experience of the senior secondary school in Panchkula and these can be applied to other schools all around the world.

First, the political atmosphere of the school should be one that encourages meaningful and respectful political discourse among its students. Public speeches and debates empower the candidates to define and express their platform.

Second, the vote does not need to be collected through the more traditional means of raising hands or submitting paper ballots. Embracing e-voting technology is more efficient, more cost-effective, and more relevant for today's youth.

Third, this also demonstrates that if a humble school in India can afford to implement a robust and reliable e-voting system, there is no reason why proper governments and electoral commissions cannot do the same.

The future of politics is in the hands of today's young people. Let's arm them with the technology they need and desire for the safest, most secure, and most engaging democratic process possible.

Youthful tech-savvy electorate empowered in 2014 India election

Source: Google Images

The recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections in India were particularly noteworthy for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that it is the largest ever election on record anywhere in the world. Over 550 million voters headed to the polls during an election which was held in nine phases from April 7 to May 12, 2014. With an estimated 814.5 million people eligible to vote, this represents a voter turnout of over 66%, the highest ever in any of India's general elections.

Two of the major driving forces in India's general election were the rise of the youth vote and the growing adoption of electronic voting technology. Indeed, even in as small a demographic as eligible voters aged 18 to 19 years, there was a massive cohort of 23 million people. This is nearly three percent of the total number of voters. What's more, the voting youth of India are more engaged than ever with the politics of their country.

“The youth played a major role in these elections,” said Mukhtar Abbas Nagvi, Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP led the National Democratic Alliance, which won the election by clinching 336 of the available 543 Lok Sabha seats. “Due to social media, we got support from a large section of population through Facebook, Twitter, etc.”

The growing importance of appealing to younger voters has been observed not only in India, but also in other parts of the world. Some have dubbed it the “Obama effect,” as American President Barack Obama leveraged the “disruptive power of technology and youth” to achieve his victory in 2008. In the case of India, visionary and idealistic political youth are utilizing social media, mobile, analytics and cloud technologies to address issues and raise voter awareness among their age group and beyond.

The youth-driven political start-ups are non-partisan in nature and they utilize the range of technology to best express and distribute their message. Some of the more notable political start-ups in India include GrassRoute, MumbaiVotes, Know Your Vote and iForIndia. The increased prevalence of the Internet and the higher rate of literacy among India's youth further embolden their desire to have their political voices heard and to empower their ability to do so too.

In the case of iForIndia, the web-based citizen engagement platform collects and analyzes data regarding the performance of an elected official. The generated “report card” improves accountability in real time. “We will share the data with the media and invite the politicians and public for active engagements,” said iForIndia co-founder Akur Garg. “The website will also serve as a mirror to inform the politicians where they stand in people's perception, which areas they are doing well in and which ones require more attention.”

Technology and the Internet certainly played very important roles leading up to the 2014 elections in India, particularly among the younger and more tech-savvy demographic, but technology was also heavily influential in how the elections themselves were run. Indeed, in order to reach the hundreds of millions of eligible voters, India deployed approximately 1.4 million e-voting machines across the 930,000 polling stations across the country over the course of the nine-phase election period.

Considering the massive scale of the multi-week election that involved hundreds of millions of voters, concerns over voter literacy, dozens of political parties and over one million e-voting machines, India could serve as a glowing example of democracy for the rest of the world. 

The role of a paper trail in an automated election

Source: Google images

Much of the discussion surrounding the use of e-voting technology necessarily focuses on the actual electronic equipment being used. There are a variety of different direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machines, some of which are equipped with touchscreen monitors. Debates on e-voting also discuss how the votes are being recorded, how they are being transmitted and how they are being tabulated. However, there is another large component to electronic voting technologies that is not completely digital.

A paper trail can be positively invaluable during electoral processes. Opponents to e-voting technology oftentimes cite the apparent lack of transparency and accountability with digital records and digital transmissions, as the data can potentially be corrupted or tampered with. By having the paper trail as backup, acting as proof of the legitimate ballots being cast and the votes being properly counted, there is a better sense of accountability. The digital records can be checked against their paper counterparts to ensure that there are no inconsistencies or discrepancies.

Indeed, the Supreme Court in India has ruled that the country's Election Commission must introduce a paper backup of all votes cast via electronic voting machines. The primary argument is that a running paper record of all the ballots being cast can then be used to verify the digital votes in the case of an audit. This wouldn't necessarily defend the system against being hacked, but it would mean that even if the digital record were compromised, the paper record could be confirmed.

The India Supreme Court ruled that such a paper trail would be an “indispensable requirement of free and fair elections.” Since the roll-out of such technology can be complex, the Court is allowing the Election Commission to introduce a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail system in “gradual stages” throughout the country, starting with general elections in 2014. Electronic voting machines were first tested in India in 1982 and gained large scale deployment in the 2004 general election, processing over one million ballots.

While a paper audit trail can improve transparency, accountability and fidelity of elections, not all electoral bodies feel the same way about their use. The November 2013 municipal election in New Hanover County in North Carolina, USA abandoned paper ballots altogether. Part of the motivation was for the streamlining of data and communication, but the county also saved an estimated $20,000 by not printing or using any traditional paper ballots.

Indeed, the New Hanover County election is one of the most digital to date. Candidates submitted their financial reports digitally, voter registration took place on computers without paper forms, and only direct-recording electronic voting machines were used for casting ballots. This followed in the example set by neighbouring Brunswick County where paper ballots have not been used since 2006, with the exception of votes cast by mail-in absentees. Pender County also only used DRE machines in its November election.

When an election is run in a fully electronic and digital manner, extra safeguards must be put in place to maintain the security and integrity of the results. While some may argue that a paper trail is not necessary, as appeared to be the case in North Carolina, a voter verifiable paper record to backup the original digitally-cast votes may be in the best interest of voters. This way, there have the efficiency and flexibility that comes with an automated voting platform, while ensuring the transparency and verifiability of results. 

Assembly Elections in Gujarat are decisive for India’s future

Narendra Modi. Photo: Yahoo! News.

Voters in the states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh closed the Indian electoral calendar this year with the election of their legislative state assemblies in December. Gujarat’s election was particularly noteworthy, as BJP candidate Narendra Modi was seeking his third consecutive term in office as chief minister. 

More than 71% of Gujarat's 40 million eligible voters cast their ballots, which shows the great interest citizens have taken in deciding the fate of their country. Since 2007, voter turnout has been in the rise in the South Asian nation, as Indians now believe that locally made decisions contribute greatly to the robustness of the country. In a large and diverse country, the idea of nationhood comprising regional parties with their own cultures is “far better than trying to impose everything from the center”, says Yogendra Yadav, election analyst. This idea underlines the importance of this year’s assembly elections, as Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi is forging his way from the Gujarat assembly all the way up to the Prime Minister’s seat. 

With almost 50% of the votes, Modi was denied the landslide victory he was seeking, but he was nonetheless named Gujarat’s chief minister for the third time in a row. His party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), obtained 115 out of 182 seats in the assembly. Mr. Modi has been ruling the state since 2001, and this renewed appointment at the assembly paves the way for him to run for Prime Minister in 2014. Although not everyone agrees with the progress that has characterized his government —the modernization of infrastructure has been a key point in his mandate—, his repeated victory proves that he could have a great chance to propagate the renovation policies implemented in Gujarat over the rest of India. 

Speaking of modernization, it is worth mentioning that India has been using voting technology since 1999, which makes democracy highly efficient for a country with about one billion people and hundreds of millions of votes to tally. Incidentally, Gujarat was the first state to experiment with Internet voting in 2011.

India Tests E-Voting System Under Extreme Conditions

What better way to demonstrate the viability, reliability, and security of an electronic voting system than to put this system through its paces in the second most heavily populated country in the world? That is precisely what is being planned, as a prototype of an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) with a verifiable paper trail is set to be tested in 200 locations all around India. This series tests is scheduled to take place by the middle of July.