Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has advised against using electronic voting machines (EVMs). He fears that these machines can be tampered with. Musk’s remarks come amid a growing debate on the security of EVMs around the world. This has gained momentum after allegations of irregularities in Puerto Rico’s recent primary elections. Musk wrote on X, “We should eliminate electronic voting machines. Humans or AI can hack it. The risk is low, yet very high.”
The discussion on EVM security has intensified due to the recent controversies in Puerto Rico. Several irregularities related to EVMs were found in the primary elections there. However, a paper trail helped election officials identify and correct the vote count.
The matter arose from Robert F. Kennedy’s tweet
Musk’s comment was in response to Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of former US President John F Kennedy and an independent candidate for the 2024 US elections, who wrote, “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 where there is no paper trail?”
EVMs are safe in India
Kennedy Jr. advocated a return to paper ballots to prevent electronic interference in elections, to ensure that every vote is counted and elections are secure. While concerns over EVMs are growing in the United States, the scenario in India presents a contrasting picture. India uses third-generation EVMs, known as M3 EVMs, which cannot be tampered with. These machines go into ‘security mode’ and become inactive if any tampering is detected.
Post by Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar opposed Musk’s statement, calling it “a huge generalisation” that holds no truth. “This is a very big sweeping generalisation statement that implies no one can build secure digital hardware. This is false. No connectivity, no Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi, no internet, no way. Factory-programmed controllers that can’t be reprogrammed. Electronic voting machines can be designed and built properly, as India has done. We’d be happy to give a tutorial, Elon,” he wrote.
EVM made with the help of IIT
A dedicated team of professors from three prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has played a key role in the latest upgrade of Indian EVMs. The Election Commission of India is supported by a prestigious technical expert committee on EVMs, which ensures that the devices are robust and secure. This year, the Supreme Court considered the issue of cross-verification of votes cast on EVMs through slips emerging from Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta dismissed the petitions seeking 100 per cent cross-verification and upheld the existing practice of verifying five randomly selected EVMs in each assembly constituency.
Supreme Court’s decision
The court issued two directions to the Election Commission. First, after election symbols are loaded into EVMs, the election symbol loading unit must be sealed and secured in a container signed by the candidates and their representatives. Second, these sealed containers must be kept in the storeroom, along with the EVMs, for at least 45 days after the declaration of results.
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