Totaliser

Totaliser is a proposed mechanism in the voting machines in India to hide the booth-wise voting patterns.[1][2][3] A totaliser allows the votes cast in about 14 polling booths to be counted together. At present, the votes are tallied booth by booth.[4][5]

Functioning

Totaliser with EVMs

Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru, and Electronics Corporation of India Limited, Hyderabad, developed the totaliser. Totaliser is an interface, which is connected to main control units of a cluster of 14 EVMs (hence, in 14 polling stations), and the consolidated result of votes cast for each candidate in that group of EVMs can be obtained by pressing the result button in the totaliser, but without disclosing the votes polled by a candidate polling-station-wise.[6][7]

History

A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in Supreme Court in 2014 seeking a direction to the poll panel to mix up the votes cast in the various polling stations in a constituency, to prevent the candidates intimidating voters in areas that had rebuffed them.[8] Election Commission of India initially suggested the measure to UPA Government in 2008.[9][10]

During Indian general election, 2014, former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had allegedly threatened the voters that his party, Nationalist Congress Party, would be able to detect the voting patterns from the electronic voting machine readings and cut off their water supply if they snubbed it in Baramati (Lok Sabha constituency). Law Commission said Totaliser would also help in situations such as witnessed in Hoshangabad (Lok Sabha constituency) in 2014, where lone voter casted vote in Mokalvada polling station in Sohagpur area. Before the introduction of the electronic voting machines in India, ballot papers were mixed wherever necessary to prevent disclosure of the voting patterns.

In February 2017, NDA Government opposed totaliser in its affidavit in Supreme Court,[11] while Law Commission of India and the Election Commission of India had favoured the introduction of a totaliser.[12][13]

Congress, NCP and BSP “categorically” supported its proposal to use ‘totaliser’ machine while BJP, Trinamool Congress and PMK opposed totaliser.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The need for a 'totaliser' revolution".
  2. ↑ "New Voting Machine For Extra Secrecy Nixed By Government".
  3. ↑ "Govt opposes voting pattern veil".
  4. ↑ "Know Your Electronic Voting Machine" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  5. ↑ "EC rejects Maya's EVM charges, machines are fool-proof, says commission".
  6. ↑ "EC for new machine to enhance voter secrecy".
  7. ↑ "Ministers reject EC bid for device to hide voting trends".
  8. ↑ "EC plan to use 'Totaliser' rejected".
  9. ↑ "New counting method for Assembly polls".
  10. ↑ "What EVM Tampering Debate Is Totally Overlooking".
  11. ↑ "Election Commission proposes machines to mask voting pattern, Govt shoots it down".
  12. ↑ "Pursuit for poll reforms will continue: Chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi".
  13. ↑ "Elections: Why is the BJP opposed to the 'Totaliser' machine?".
  14. ↑ "Protect the voter: Introduction of totaliser machines a positive for electoral processes".
  15. ↑ "Govt rejects Election Commission proposal for machine to hide voting pattern".
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