Supreme Court Queries Voter Access to VVPAT Slip, Election Body Raises Concerns

Supreme Court Queries Voter Access to VVPAT Slip: To avoid unfairness in the voting process during the election, the Supreme Court has appealed to the Election Commission of India requesting to describe the process to promote free and fair voting.

Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, the poll body's counsel, and poll officials are in court to answer questions regarding cross-verification of votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and paper slips generated through the VVPAT system.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta said "This is (an) electoral process. There has to be sanctity. Let nobody have apprehension that something which is expected is not being done,"

According to Advocate Nizam Pash, when a person gives his/ her votes to a particular party he/she is offered a VVPAT slip which he has to deposit in the ballot box. The VVPAT also known as Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail allows the voter to see whether the ballot was correctly cast and goes to the part he/she voted for.

On behalf of this Justice Khanna asked if such an action wouldn't violate the voter's privacy on this Mr Pasha replied, "Voter privacy cannot be used to defeat voter's rights."

Prashant Bhushan further said "One possible solution is if they can't change glass at this stage, at least the light should remain on at all times, so I can see the slip cutting and falling. No privacy will be compromised."

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A poll body official said that the VVPAT printer had no software installed. In response to a question from the court about how many Symbol Loading Units are created for polls, the poll body official replied, "Normally one in every constituency."

In response to the court's question, about if the unit is sealed to prevent tampering, the Election Commission replied that no such process is currently in place.

The poll body also noted "There is a 4 megabyte flash memory in every PAT which stores symbols. The returning officer prepares electronic ballot, which is loaded into the symbol loading unit. It will give a serial number, name of the candidate and symbol. Nothing is preloaded. It's not data, it's image format."

The poll body told the court that all machines go through the mock poll process and 5% of the machines may be chosen by the voters at random. The body further said that all machines have different kinds of seals, the VVPAT slips are then taken out and checked. Seal numbers can be verified when a machine for counting arrives.

During a court hearing, the official explained that the poll body gives demonstrations and runs awareness programmes to help voters determine if their vote has been cast. Additionally, the Election Commission said that voting machines were allocated to constituencies randomly. "No spurious units could be connected (to them). They would only recognize sister units."

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Voting machines run on firmware and their programs cannot be changed. They are kept in strongrooms that are locked in the presence of representatives of political parties.

Following polling, the machines are taken back to strong rooms, which are sealed in the presence of candidates. On counting day, the strong rooms are opened.

When asked if it is possible for a voter to obtain a slip after voting, the Election Commission responded that this might compromise the secrecy of the vote and may be misused outside the booth. "How it might be misused is unclear," it said.

According to the election body, counting VVPAT paper slips takes longer and machines cannot be used because the paper is thin, sticky, and not intended for counting.

Asked how the poll body will ensure the integrity of the entire process, the Supreme Court said there is a trust factor. The poll body replied it would update FAQs.

According to the Supreme Court, the petitioners didn't have to understand the technical elements of the voting system and should simply appreciate the Election Commission's efforts.

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