VVPAT
- March 23, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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VVPAT
Subject: Polity
Context: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, has urged the panel to carry out a 100% tally of all EVM machines with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for the coming Assembly elections.
Concept:
- The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballot less voting system.
- The VVPAT is an independent printer system attached with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) that allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended.
- It generates a paper slip every time a voter casts his vote, recording the party to whom the vote was made. The VVPAT slip is kept in a sealed cover.
- VVPAT slip counting takes place in the VVPAT counting booths under the close monitoring of the returning officer and direct oversight of the observer.
How does the VVPAT work?
- The voting in India is done using the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) that is designed with two units: the control unit and the balloting unit.
- The balloting unit of the machine has a list of candidate names and party symbols with a blue button next to it. The voter can press the button next to the candidate’s name they wish to vote for.
- When the voter casts the vote on the EVM, printer-like VVPAT apparatus linked to the EVM generates a slip showing serial number, name and symbol of the candidate to whom the vote was made.
- With this slip, the voter can verify his casted vote.
- This VVPAT slip is displayed for 7 seconds before it’s automatically cut.
- The slip, once viewed, is cut and dropped into the drop box in the VVPAT machine and a beep will be heard.
- The VVPAT machines can only be accessed by the election officers in the rarest of rare cases.