Centre moves on vote totaliser machines

The Union government is working on the issue of introducing “totaliser machines” for mixing of votes from various booth for counting, as recommended by the Election Commission. The Supreme Court, while hearing a writ petition recently, had given the government eight weeks’ time to take a final decision.

• To look into the issue, a team of Union Ministers has been constituted. The team will deliberate on the Election Commission’s proposal in November 2008. The Law Commission had also recommended the use these machines.

About totalizer machines:

The machine is expected to prevent disclosure of voting patterns across polling stations during counting, which will allay the fears of voters against any pre-poll intimidation or post-poll victimisation by any candidate. It enhances voter secrecy.

• The main intention behind this proposal is that the current system reveals the voting trends in each polling station, thus leaving the voters in that vicinity open to harassment, intimidation and post-election victimisation.
• The totaliser machines are analogous to the physical mixing of paper ballots from different booths in an earlier era. In that sense, they are also an extension of the principle of secret ballot.

Background:

Prior to the introduction of EVMs, ballot papers could be mixed, wherever it was considered absolutely necessary under the Conduct of Election Rules in light of apprehended intimidation and victimisation of electors. However, EVMs do not permit this.