NEW DELHI - Did you know that the use of electronic voting machines, or EVMs, results in the saving of nearly 10,000 tonnes of paper that in turn preserves forests where trees are cut down to produce paper?
About 7,700 tonnes of paper was used for printing of ballot papers in the 1999 general elections, whereas 8,800 tonnes of paper was used for the purpose in the 1996 general elections. With the electorate going up steadily, more than 10,000 tonnes of paper would have to be used for this general election if there had been no EVMs.
Voters in all Lok Sabha constituencies going to the polls in April-May will cast their votes through EVMs. The house has 543 elective seats.
Here are some more interesting facts about the handy device:
* The EVM is a simple electronic device used to record votes in place of ballot papers and boxes which were used earlier.
* The EVM was first used in India in 1982 in a by-election at the Parur assembly constituency of Kerala and in only 50 polling stations.
* EVMs are manufactured by two central government undertakings - Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited. The Election Commission of India gets EVMs from both them.
* An EVM can be used in areas without electricity as it runs on alkaline batteries.
* An EVM can record a maximum number of 3,840 votes which far exceeds the number of voters (usually less than 1,400) assigned to a polling station.
* Elections can be conducted through EVMs if the number of candidates does not exceed 64. If the number of candidates exceeds 64, the poll has to be conducted through conventional ballot paper/boxes.
* Utmost care has been taken to make EVM tamper-proof. The programming of the microprocessor chip used in EVMs is burned into the chip. Any attempt to alter the existing programme on the chip would destroy its existing programme and render it useless.
* The polling result is stored permanently in the memory chip of the EVM till it is intentionally cleared for readying the machine for subsequent elections. Removal of batteries from the machine does not have any effect on its memory.
* The 2004 general elections were conducted totally by using 10.75 lakh (1.075 million) EVMs in the country.
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Poll panel allows petitioners to show EVM's tamperbilityAugust 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission Monday met petitioners who have filed cases in courts across the country challenging the efficacy of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and agreed to offer machines so they could demonstrate their claims of tamperability. We met the Election Commission and demanded it offer us EVMs to demonstrate that these can be tampered with.
PMK to show Election Commission how EVMs can be tamperedAugust 12th, 2009 CHENNAI - The Madras High Court Wednesday permitted political party PMK to demonstrate to election commission officials how the electronic voting machine (EVM) can be manipulated. Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by PMK's G.K.
EVMs should generate hard copy for voter: JayalalithaaAugust 5th, 2009 CHENNAI - Continuing her tirade against electronic voting machines (EVMs), Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu and AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa said Wednesday that the voting machines can be hacked or manipulated.
EVMs can be manipulated, claim expertsAugust 2nd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - An electronic experts group Saturday challenged the poll panel's claim that the electronic voting machines (EVM) are tamper proof, and said the voting devices can be tampered with in many ways. Claiming that there are loopholes in the EVMs, the expert team here demonstrated how the machines can be tampered through a prototype EVM they have developed.
EVMs foolproof, no plan to scrap them, says poll panelJuly 17th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - The Election Commission of India (ECI) has no plans to scrap the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the country, Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said here Friday.
Advani's comments on EVMs stretch of imagination: CongressJuly 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The ruling Congress party Sunday dismissed as a stretch of imagination Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani's comments that India should revert to the ballot paper for elections unless adequate safeguards are in place to guard against malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
EVMs are tamper-proof, says poll panelJuly 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission Sunday asserted the electronic voting machines being used to conduct the polls in the country were tamper-proof and reliable, as it replied to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani's apprehensions on the gadgets.
Chandauli candidates still await resultMay 17th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Candidates from the Chandauli parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh are still awaiting the election result, as counting of votes had not been completed by midday Sunday due to two electronic voting machines (EVM) developing technical snags. At about noon Sunday, officials were still not sure by when they would be able to declare the result.
Andhra strong room key lost, officials break in for EVMMay 16th, 2009 HYDERABAD - Election officials in Andhra Pradesh had to break open the door of a strong room containing the electronic voting machines (EVMs) as the key went missing Saturday morning. As the officials reached the strong room in Kamareddy in Nizamabad district to break open the seal and take out EVMs, they were surprised to learn that the key was missing.
Poll panel to probe EVM malfunctioning in West BengalMay 13th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Election Commission will probe into the malfunctioning of EVMs in 101 polling booths of a Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal Wednesday, prompting the poll in these booths to be deferred to Thursday. 'We'll order an investigation into the matter and also seek a clarification from the district administration as to how the EVMs were damaged by rain and found faulty on the polling day,' West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Debashis Sen told reporters here.
EVMs containing fate of Delhi politicians stored in sealed roomsMay 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Now that the balloting process is over in Delhi, the electronic voting machines (EVM) have been stored in 'strong rooms' that have been sealed under strict supervision. 'The EVMs are under lock and key in strong rooms.
Mock counting of votes held in Andhra PradeshMay 3rd, 2009 HYDERABAD - Mock counting of votes was held Sunday in 106 centres across Andhra Pradesh as the election authorities checked the preparedness for the counting to be taken up May 16. Chief Electoral Officer I.V.
Special EVMs for Sikkim's Buddhist monks, nunsApril 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission has provided special electronic voting machines (EVMs) at all polling stations in Sikkim to enable Buddhist monks and nuns to vote from anywhere, Deputy Election Commissioner J.P. Prakash said here Tuesday.
Made in India EVMs in demand abroadApril 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Bhutan got them for its elections last year and Nepal has acquired them too. Indian-made Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) are making waves abroad, not just in our neighbourhood but right up to the African continent.
Improved EVMs to make voting tamper proof in this electionMarch 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) has just got smarter. It not only does the obvious - record your vote - but also notes the exact time you cast it.
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