India President elections 2022: Electoral fate of Murmu, Sinha to be stored in ballot boxes, not EVMs
India President elections 2022
In India, the election for the 15th President of India has started. The presidential college, which consists of the elected Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members as well as the Assembly members, will cast its votes in accordance with the party whips. Results will be declared on 21st July. Did you know that Presidential elections don't use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)? Instead, the election for the first citizen of India makes use of ballot boxes. Do you know why?
Live | India President elections 2022: Polling starts
What are Electronic Voting Machines?
An electronic voting machine (EVM) is a portable device used to conduct elections for the legislative, national and local governments, as well as for local authorities like panchayats and municipalities.
Itis a microcontroller-based device used to modernise the voting process. It eliminates the possibility of incorrect votes, maintains complete voting data privacy, and allows for efficient and precise vote counting. The voting information stored in EVMs can be removed if necessary and is preserved for years.
Why are they not used in Presidential elections?
EVMs have been used in 127 assembly elections and four Lok Sabha elections since 2004, however, they are not usedin elections for the President and Vice President of India, members of the Rajya Sabha, or representatives to state legislative councils.
This is because the EVMs are built using a technique that allows them to aggregate votes in direct elections.Voters press the button next to the name of their preferred candidate, and the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner.
However, when it comes to the election of a Presidenta single transferable vote is used to elect the president in accordance with the proportional representation system.
How does the ballot work?
The electors mark the ballot card with their order of preference. If there are five candidates, for instance, the elector will write the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 according to the candidate their preference.
The EVMs, officials explained, is not designed to register this system of voting.
(With inputs from agencies)
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