Centre’s Opposition to Totaliser Machines for EVM Vote Counting

What is a Totaliser?

• A totaliser is a device used during counting of votes, not for casting votes.
• It combines the votes recorded in about 14 EVMs and displays the combined result for each candidate.
• It therefore prevents the counting process from revealing how voters at an individual polling booth voted.
• The system was developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).

EVM vs Totaliser

How does a totaliser protect voter secrecy?

• Current system: Votes recorded in EVMs are generally counted booth-wise.
• Booth-wise results can reveal how a particular locality or social group voted.
• This can potentially allow candidates to identify areas that supported or opposed them.
• Whereas through the totaliser, the candidate gets the combined votes from the 14 polling stations, rather than the voting pattern of each individual booth.
• This is intended to reduce the possibility of voter intimidation or victimisation based on voting patterns. 

Why has the issue reached the Supreme Court?

• A PIL was filed in 2014 seeking the mixing of votes from polling stations.
• The petitioners argued that booth-wise results could allow candidates to identify and intimidate voters in areas that did not support them.
• The concern becomes greater where geographical and social patterns overlap with voting patterns, making it easier to infer how particular communities or localities voted.
• The Supreme Court has now asked the Centre to state its position on introducing totalisers for EVM counting.
     

Election Commission's PositionThe ECI has supported the introduction of totalisers.It first suggested the measure to the United Progressive Alliance government in 2008.In a 2018 submission before the Supreme Court, the ECI stated that the time had come to introduce totalisers for counting votes.The ECI has continued to support the objective of protecting voter anonymity.At the same time, it has recognised practical and legal concerns, including:booth-wise verification;VVPAT-related issues.

Why is the centre opposing totalisers?

• The Centre has consistently opposed totalisers.
• Its principal argument is that booth-wise voting information helps candidates understand areas where their support is low and work harder there.
• In 2017, the Centre argued that totalisers could affect the availability of booth-level information.
• In 2018, concern was raised that installing a totaliser could potentially result in a data breach even before vote counting begins.
• More recently, the Centre again raised concerns regarding the possibility of voter intimidation/victimisation on a larger scale if such information is disclosed.
• The Centre has therefore asked the Supreme Court to consider the practical and security implications of introducing totalisers.

What are the practical challenges in implementing totalisers?

Introducing totalisers would require addressing:

• compatibility with existing EVM counting procedures;
• VVPAT verification;
• ensuring that aggregation does not compromise transparency;
• preventing technological or data-security vulnerabilities;
• maintaining public confidence in the counting process.

Conclusion:

Electoral transparency should reveal the outcome of an election without making individual communities or localities vulnerable to retaliation; totalisers seek to reconcile these two democratic requirements.