I believe all political parties have contributed to the erosion of public confidence in electronic voting machines (EVMs). The same EVMs were used across all 543 parliamentary constituencies in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. However, within five years, serious doubts about their reliability were raised by several people, including BJP veteran L K Advani. Initially, EVMs were presented as standalone machines, not connected to external devices. This was one of the principal arguments supporting their integrity and resistance to manipulation. However, with the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), the arrangement now involves three connected components: the ballot unit, VVPAT and control unit. Referring to this three-component arrangement simply as an EVM can be confusing. Calling it an electronic voting system (EVS) would more accurately describe the arrangement and help clarify public understanding. Nevertheless, changing the terminology alone cannot establish that the system is tamper-proof. The fundamental question remains: Can the machines be manipulated at the software programming stage? Addressing this concern transparently is essential to rebuilding public confidence.
DIOMEDES PEREIRA, Corlim
