New Delhi: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has advised against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) due to fears of possible tampering. His comments come amid a growing global debate over the security of EVMs, which has been further fuelled by allegations of irregularities in the recent Puerto Rico primary elections. “We should stay away from electronic voting machines. Someone or AI can hack them. The risk is low, but still very high,” Musk tweeted.
The controversy in Puerto Rico has sparked renewed discussion about EVM security. The primary election there was marred by numerous irregularities involving EVMs. However, a paper trail enabled election officials to identify and correct the vote count.
This is a huge sweeping generalization statement that implies no one can build secure digital hardware. Wrong. @elonmusk ‘s view may apply to the US and other places – where they use regular compute platforms to build Internet connected Voting machines.
But Indian EVMs are custom… https://t.co/GiaCqU1n7O
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) June 16, 2024
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s tweet sparks debate
Musk’s comment was a response to a tweet by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of former US President John F. Kennedy and an independent candidate for the 2024 US elections. Kennedy had tweeted, “According to the Associated Press, Puerto Rico’s primary elections saw hundreds of voting irregularities related to electronic voting machines. Fortunately, there was a paper trail, so the problem was identified, and the vote count was corrected. What happens in jurisdictions without a paper trail?”
EVM Security in India
Kennedy Jr. advocated a return to paper ballots in elections to prevent electronic interference and ensure accurate counting of votes. While concerns over EVMs are growing in the United States, the situation in India presents a contrasting picture. India uses third-generation EVMs, known as M3 EVMs, which are tamper-proof. These machines go into ‘security mode’ and become inactive if any tampering is detected.
We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high. https://t.co/PHzJsoXpLh
—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2024
Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s response
Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar opposed Musk’s statement, calling it a “very broad generalisation” without basis. He tweeted, “This is a very sweeping statement that implies no secure digital hardware can be built. This is false. No connectivity, no Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi, no internet, no way. Factory-programmed controllers that cannot be reprogrammed. Electronic voting machines can be properly designed and built, as India has done. Will be happy to give us a tutorial, Elon.”