Context
The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to examine the introduction of totaliser machines for counting EVM votes to protect the secrecy of booth-wise voting patterns. While the Election Commission of India (ECI) supports totalisers, the Centre has opposed their introduction.
Explanation
- Votes recorded in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are currently counted separately for each polling station, making booth-wise voting patterns identifiable.
- A totaliser is an interface connected to the control units of a cluster of EVMs and displays their votes collectively rather than booth-wise.
- The proposed system can aggregate votes from about 14 polling stations, preventing identification of how particular localities voted.
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has supported totalisers, arguing that they protect voters from intimidation or victimisation based on local voting patterns.
- The ECI has proposed totalisers repeatedly since 2008, but the Union Law Ministry has not accepted the proposal.
- The 255th Law Commission Report (2015) also endorsed totaliser machines.
- The Centre has opposed totalisers, arguing that booth-wise results improve candidates’ understanding of constituency-level support.
- Practical concerns include Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification and booth-wise reconciliation.
- The ECI’s powers of superintendence, direction and control of elections flow from Article 324 of the Constitution.
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