New Delhi: A group of 73 former civil servants, including Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers, waded into the political row over electronic voting machines (EVMs) Sunday, writing an open letter to point out “serious shortcomings” in the implementation of the verifiable voter paper audit trail (VVPAT)-based audit of EVMs.
The letter, which comes months before the Lok Sabha elections, includes as signatories former national security adviser Shivshankar Menon, former foreign secretary Nirupama Menon Rao, former secretary in the finance ministry Narendra Sisodia, former IAS officer Aruna Roy.
According to the former civil servants, a parallel VVPAT tally of EVM results is essential to ensure free and fair elections, because “it is common knowledge that EVMs are ‘black boxes’ in which it is impossible for voters to verify whether their votes have been recorded and counted correctly”.
VVPAT is a physical record of every vote cast in an election.
The efficiency of EVMs becomes a hot topic of debate every election season, with the losing side often blaming “manipulated EVMS” for its defeat. In fact, the Congress moved the Election Commission (EC) last year to seek a return to paper ballots amid a “serious question mark on the credibility, independence and fairness of EVMs”.
Also read: EC unlikely to yield to opposition demand to verify 50% of EVM results with paper trails
However, the real issue today, the group of civil servants writes, “is not about “EVMs versus paper ballots” — according to them, it is about “EVMs with perfunctory VVPAT audit versus EVMs with proper VVPAT audit”.
In order to ensure that voting is free of possible EVM malfunction and manipulation, the group says, the EC must overcome a “series of serious shortcomings” in their VVPAT audit implementation.
The ‘short-comings’
First, the group says that the EC’s policy of using just “one polling station (i.e. 1 EVM) per assembly constituency” is a statistically incorrect sample size, because the number of EVMs in a constituency varies widely across states “from about 20 to about 300” and within the state itself.
For example, the group explains, Sikkim has 589 EVMs, Chhattisgarh has 23,672, and Uttar Pradesh, nearly 1,50,000.
Second, the retired bureaucrats point out, the EC has not made public “as to how it arrived at its sample size nor has it specified the population to which this sample size relates”. Sample sizes based on wide differences in population, they add, lead to “high margins of error” which “are unacceptable in a democracy”.
The EC has also “been vague about its ‘decision rule’ in the event of one or more defective EVMs turning up in the chosen sample”, and “failed to be transparent about the results of its VVPAT-based audit of EVMs for the various assembly elections held in 2017 and 2018”.
“The details are not available on its website,” the group writes.
“The lack of transparency in VVPAT-based audit of EVMs has fuelled various conspiracy theories about ‘mass rigging of EVMs,” the group writes.
Also read: India should put the EVM hacking debate to rest and here’s how
Most recently, the Europe chapter of the Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA) set up a live demonstration in London where a “US-based cyber expert” named Syed Shuja was to demonstrate how EVMs could be hacked.
Yet, Shuja, who claimed that every Indian election since 2014 had been rigged, failed to deliver what he had set out to show — a demonstration of how EVMs could be tampered with.
The way forward
The group writes that while large-scale EVM manipulation is highly improbable, “probability can increase significantly with insider collusion”.
For example, “potential attackers need to target only select EVMs to tip the balance in a few marginal, closely fought constituencies”, the group explains.
The group suggests that the EC adopt “a statistically correct sample size that can detect at least one defective EVM with 99.9 per cent reliability”.
Further, the retired civil servants also appeal that the EC create a framework for situations that demand full manual counting of VVPAT slips, including the results of closely-contested constituencies where the margin of victory is below 2 per cent of the votes cast or 1,000 votes, whichever is less, even if no defective EVM turns up in the sample
“Though the counting process may take a little longer, the confidence of the voters and political parties in the electoral process will be reinforced,” the group writes.
“An EVM can record a maximum of 3840 votes and can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates. There is provision for 16 candidates in a single balloting unit and up to a maximum of 4 units can be connected in parallel. The conventional ballot paper/box method of polling is used if the number of candidates exceeds 64.”
if what is stated above in wikipedia article is correct, as many candidates as possible that are concerned of EVM tampering by party in power should simply invest their resources in having about 75 valid nominations filed and accepted in such a constituency.
if the candidates themselves can not ensure it themselves, those who have empathy for such candidates and such fear of those candidates could ensure the same effect of there being more than 75 candidates or so in such a contest!
Well said Naren Sir, the same thing struck me too. This is only a game by khangress wuth the help of workless retired BABUS who want to seek some publicity freely. There was no malfunctioning when khangress wins. It is all vheatimg the public.
USA,UK, Australia & other EU countries rejected the use of EVMs because they can 100 percent be hacked during the time votes are being cast : the code numbers given to each party is known ( don’t ask me who/how/why ) . If you don’t know the technology , just don’t cry hoarse to show off !
Jay Hind
Jay Bharat
Jay Jawan
Jay Kishan
Respected Sir/Madam
Now a day’s many people doubt on EVM, so I have suggestion regarding this.
1) When we are going to vote, suppose we are voting to Person A then in VVPAT slip also Person A print if other than Person A slip in VVPAT then give one switch so that voting machine voting indicator light and VVPAT slip hold for few minutes. So that we can saw to presiding officer that vote given to person A and going to other person in VVPAT if happen. Now no one can doubt that we given to vote this person and going to other person in VVPAT.
2) We have designed VVPAT such that slip will not cut but making roll in it. Now make a device scan and counter, under passing VVPAT roll to this device this device can count vote number with possible candidates. So that in result day, we can pass VVPAT roll under scan and count device so that we can maximum cross tally with machine in minimum time and nobody can doubt and also transparency increase.
OR
We can make VVPAT design such that we get print like OMR answer sheet, when we vote then it can be mark in vote code may be 1,2,3 etc. by this way we can also verify maximum machine vote with VVPAT sheet.
Thanks & Regards,
Yogesh Agola
I think to win election by foul 3 things matter most, 1 Manipulation in voter list, delete name who are likely to vote opponent, add name wherever possible of non existent voters, by duplication, repeat a name at different address in same or different constituencies. Due many other reason voting list have more voters than actual due migration or deaths but name continues. To know correct nos in a district, state & country it should be linked to district wise population of people 18or above & its rate of growth in last decade as per census to calculate apox correct nos iof voter in a district state or country for next 10 years. 2. Impersonation is prectice used by all political parties in booths where they can influence polling party or opponent are weak. To correct it using face recognisant ion tech. & photo shooting every voter that come to vote & placing photo with its record in voter list So that same person can’t vote twice also keeping such record for rechecking & till such time election petition are heard. So that in case polling party favour one candidate can be detected & punished fir malpractice. 3 using computer touch screen or display of candidate name, photo, symbol & bar code for electronic counting, for a voter selection, on selectin one candidate all other name on display wiped out excepted selected candidate with display the of OK & return. If correct voter touch OK if not display of all candidate again appear over screen to repeat process. If press OK should print poll slip in size of 2000₹ note on good Quality paper made exclusive for EC purpose, from a printer attached ; voter collect that slip & put it in aBallot Box provided, after verifying again. After each OK touch screen goes blank till than activated again by polling officer of booth. It will provide ample opportunity for voter to verify his vote & will be sure his vote correctly recorded. Later at time counting all voters slips sagerated & counties for each candidate by manual or electronic counting or using note counting m/c. Further, will ensure to have record of vote for recounting in case any doubt or on court order. It may take more time say 2-3 days to announce all results but will avoid air of doubts in EVMs.
Ok. Let’s dare this Gang-73 to tell it’s masters (whose voice they are) to nullify the recent elections in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and let’s have re-elections. Bet, they don’t have the spunk to do so because they were always good at diversions during their service and such people were suitable to madam.
Reactions from stooges of carrupt Congress sensing imminent defeat.
Why these guys realized it so late and only at this time? Doubtful intention leads to their doubtful credibility Regressing approach /backward leaning for solution in place of innovative technical solution is questionable. References made in the note itself suggest their inclination in particular direction and under instructions from somewhere for such writings
It is time pass for these IAS/ IPS retired persons.Most of them benefited in UPA rule.Think of the additional expenditure.We have to be frugal with public money.Ask statistics experts.They will tell you EVM are 99% clean
The problem is these bureaucrats themselves! It is amply clear from the presence Aruna Roy in this group that this move is a benami propaganda of Congi. Who doesn’t know that Aruna Roy and her husband Bunkar Roy are great chamchas of the ex barmaid and had field day when they were made members of NAC presided over by that august lady. If they had such apprehension s they could have rectified the matter in their own manner when they were in power. But didn’t do anything because it was convenient for their mentor to keep the matter open and milk it when they faced defeat. This controversy was raked up before the elections were held in three states recently and when Congi came to power there they forgot the faulty EVM. Now before impending Lok Sabha election they are now raking up these issues typically in the manner the paid NGOs do fearing Congi defeat in the election so that they can question the election results on these grounds. But they will never speak about purchase of lakhs of voter cards temporarily for few days during election to stop these people from voting in sensitive constituencies to sway the results in a particular direction as was done by Siddaramaiah in Karnataka election to prevent BJP from gaining clear mandate there. In West Bengal Mamatas goons openly assault the opposition candidates and previous them from filing nomination in the local elections but these conscience keepers never say a single word against such practices. In fact the bureaucrats of the State Government and the Police Officers meticulously plan and execute these travesties in the name of elections. So better show some spunk when you’re serving rather than casting inuendo and aspersions on the institutions you once ran after you retired or resigned.
These faithful dogs of the congress era are trying to sabotage Loka Sabha elections with an ulterior motive of creating confusion and forestalling the elections….they are not technically qualified dogs to bark up the wrong tree. Experts on EVM’S must be heard & their opinion be recorded……these faithful dogs should not be allowed or their ‘barks’ be considered
Give a proper receipt to the voter, that’s all.
Finished.
हम उस व्यक्ति को बेईमानी का अवसर देते हैं जिससे हम रसीद नहीं लेते। वोट की रसीद मांगिये/दीजिए, बेईमानी ख़त्म।
Every transaction must be acknowledged by a proper receipt to the transactors.
What is the use of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), if no audit is done. that is no
verification is done by matching the paper-slip count with the digital count after elections?
What is the harm if declaration of result is delayed by a few hours and even by a day to
ensure that the elections were fair and EVMs did not malfunction? You do not make
chips, you do not write software in the chip, this is done abroad and you do not check also if the
same software is written in the chip what Indian software writers had produced, then at least check
the printed slips of the EVMs. Why give rise to conspiracy theories?
Unless someone can prove in public that EVMs can be tempered through hacking, all such suggestions are part of pure political propaganda by these 73 civil servants who may know nothing about technical aspects of India’s EVMs with only one communication port that connect them to VVPAT. If there is any hacking possible it will be through this port. But nobody has technically explained how EVM can be tempered.
Let us leave the port aside. On the motherboard itself, which houses the circuitry, there must be a pre-programmed ROM which controls that if button X is pressed, then counter X should advance by 1, if button Y is pressed, then counter Y should advance by 1, etc. That is the way it should be. But if fraudulently programmed ROM is installed by manufacturer, or if such a ROM is installed later by replacing a good ROM, then EVM can malfunction. The signal going out of the final port itself will have been manipulated.
Bureaucrats retired in their suggestion are subjecting Election Commission of India to suspicion. What’s their locus to interfere with the functions of a Constitutional body, the EC. Simply because a group of retired people venture to interfere, the suggestion at best deserves to be filed by the EC as the issue has been answered by the EC many times before and the issue can be put to rest. The retired beaurocrats should not have ganged up this way to demean a constitutional body. All of them who are signatories to this appeal or suggestion will do well to tender a regret at the very least and save their self respect as pensioners.
I fully agrree
Results of U.P. state elections which came within months of monstrous demonetization convinced me that EVMs are not reliable without VVPAT support.
Instead of making a blanket rule about 2% etc, why cannot EC consider something like this:
“For EACH Lok Sabha seat, let the contestant of each major party suggest in which pooling booths the VVPAT slips should be counted thoroughly”
On this, a percentage can be put, say 2%. So if a seat has, say, 1000 polling booths, and there are 3 major parties (say, BJP, Congress, and gathbandhan) then a max 60 booths will need to be supported by VVPAT counts. It won’t be even 60, it may be much less because there will be many booths which may be on the list of all 3 contestants. Something like this might be workable.
“Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers” These are the Johnnies who kept quiet or facilitated for sure and probably benefited from the unimaginable corruption of UPA otherwise known as the #Greatindianloot. They are the #Pidis of Congress.
What they want is delaying the election results so that manipulations are possible. Capture VVPAT machines and fill with votes and other methods. The present system makes it impossible to know which machines to fill with manipulated slips making it impossible. This will be followed by a PIL for counting ALL VVPATs by the usual #pidis.
What about you, Mr. Menon? How do we know that you are not one of the corrupt intermediaries of the Modi regime?
One EVM per constituency is statistically meaningless, neither here nor there. The whole idea of having a paper trail is that there is something in black and white, tangible, very reassuring especially for those are a little uncomfortable with technology. Should the demand be made, where the winning margin is small or in a constituency where the stakes are especially high, every single slip of paper should be counted. It costs nothing, beyond a little time and effort. The ECI needs to step out of its comfort zone, India’s elections have been admired all over the world, let’s keep it that way.
Take it from us. MODI will never do this.
Take it from me, these are people who are of possible doubtful integrity echoing the nonsense that Congress spews because they KNOW they are going to loose. They rely on a Congress tamasha in London with n unknown paid actor ranting with no proof or even credibility. That there 73 servants of Congress gives credence to that Tamasha itself is an indication of unreliability of these people of doubtful integrity. These are the failures that allowed the #Greatindianloot.
That this rant came on The Print is another indication of its tainted Nature.
There is nothing tamasha here. It was BJP which ibitially blamed EVM when it was in opposition. So when we have paper audit system is installed with EVM, what is wrong in tallying them??