From Ballot Papers to EVMs and NOTA

From the simplicity of ballot paper to the efficiency of Electronic Voting Machines and the empowerment of expressing dissent through NOTA, India’s electoral system has undergone a remarkable journey.

India’s electoral system has undergone a significant transformation over the years, reflecting the nation’s commitment to democratic principles and the incorporation of technology to enhance the electoral process. From the traditional use of ballot papers to the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the advent of the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option, this essay explores the evolution of India’s electoral system and the impact of these advancements.

First time use of Ballot Papers
Now, even with all these powers in the first election of 1951-52, it was quite a tough task for the ECI because as a country we were just getting on our feet. The transport system was poor and the literacy rate was just around 16%. Moreover, it was first time that elections were being conducted at such a huge scale. Yet the ECI did a tremendous job.
There were ballot papers handed over to the voters. Each voter would walk into a room. There would be separate boxes for each candidate and the voter would drop the ballot paper into the box of his or her choice.
ECI provided for electoral booths within 3 miles of people’s residences. There was a booth made for just 9 voters.
There was a 44.5% turnout on election day. People were so impressed with the way the elections were conducted that some people wanted to vote for the Chief election commissioner in the next elections. The first election was so impressive that the Government of Sudan invited Sukumar Sen, the then election commissioner to guide them during their elections.
Since then, India became the largest democracy in the world. This might have had something to do with the ever growing population. Every election, the numbers of voters, parties and candidates have just gone up.

The Era of Ballot Papers:
In the early years after gaining independence in 1947, India primarily relied on the manual voting system using paper ballots. The process involved voters physically marking their choice on a paper ballot, which was then manually counted. While this method served its purpose, it was susceptible to various challenges such as electoral fraud, booth capturing, and the time-consuming counting process.
However, it wasn’t a cakewalk all along. The years between 1970 and 1991 were troublesome. Election violence had become quite the norm. Instances of murder, looting, kidnapping and rape were rampant in several places. Voter bribery and black money became widespread. Areas like UP and Bihar was notorious in this regard, so much so that a term like “peaceful booth capturing” came into existence. These shortcomings cast doubts on the ECIs ability.
But then came T.N. Seshan in 1990, under whose leadership the ECI decided to put its foot down against corruption. He took some measures to counter corruption:

Naming and shaming using media
In 1987, the ECI clashed with the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi over his insistence of advancement of presidential polls. It disqualified MP Cabinet Minister for incorrect election expenditure details. These actions restored the faith of the public in the elections.

Indelible Ink
As the literacy rate of India improved voting age was brought down from 21 to 18 in 1988. Eventually, to counter impersonation, voters’ fingers were marked with the iconic indelible ink.
The Economic Intelligence Unit while measuring our democracy index gave India’s electoral process a score of 9.17 on 10. This success is mostly owed to the Election Commission of India.
Yet, the electoral procedure is plagued by issues of voter bribing, defection and political candidates with criminal backgrounds. These issues have to be either addressed by the ECI or the political parties. The sooner these are addressed, the better.
Even though the EC officers, government officials and security employees work incredibly hard to conduct elections, the most important element of the show still remains the enthusiasm of the people.

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs):
The turning point in India’s electoral history came in the 1980s with the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines. EVMs revolutionized the voting process by providing a more secure, efficient, and accurate means of recording and counting votes. The advantages of EVMs included a reduced likelihood of invalid votes, faster counting, and increased transparency in the electoral process. The EVMs, which were first used in a limited capacity in the state of Kerala in 1982, gradually became the standard across the country.

The Impact of EVMs:
The adoption of EVMs significantly enhanced the credibility of India’s electoral system. It curtailed malpractices associated with manual counting, reduced the scope for errors, and expedited the announcement of election results. Despite their benefits, EVMs have faced scrutiny and criticism, with concerns raised about tampering and hacking. To address these concerns, the Election Commission of India (ECI) introduced measures such as Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), allowing voters to verify their choices.
Over the years, EVM technology has continued to evolve. The ECI has introduced upgraded versions with additional features, including advanced security measures, improved user interface, and enhanced durability. These technological advancements aim to further fortify the integrity of the electoral process and maintain public trust.
The Election Commission has evolved a lot in the last 75 years from the period of ballot boxes to the era of electronic voting machines with democracy being the beating heart of this electoral machinery. Since its inception on January 25, 1950, the Commission has conducted 17 general elections, numerous assembly polls and elections to the offices of presidents and vice presidents.
The Election Commission ofIndia (ECI), headquartered at Nirvachan Sadan in Delhi, is now gearing up to hold the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, whose schedule is likely to be announced in March.
A lot has changed from the first general elections conducted in India after Independence in 1951-52 to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The country, its electorate and technology have evolved a lot and so has the ECI. Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi said the Indian election, given the sheer scale and magnitude of preparations over the years, is now considered “a gold standard”.
Sukumar Sen, an ICS officer who served as the chief secretary of West Bengal, was appointed as the first Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He assumed charge on March 21, 1950, nearly two months after the ECI was set up. Both the first and the second general elections in 1957 were conducted with him at the helm of electoral affairs.
Quraishi, who was the 17th CEC, described Sen as an “unsung hero” of India’s electoral journey. Not much has been documented about his life, legacy and the seminal role he played in setting the tone for Indian elections, Quraishi said.
While independent India held its first elections in 1951-52 with steel ballot boxes for 489 seats to the House of the People, electronic voting machines (EVMs) conceived in the late 70s, were first used in an assembly poll in 1998 and expanded to a chunk of parliamentary constituencies in 1999.
According to the ECI website, more than a million EVMs were used in all 543 parliamentary constituencies in the country in the 2004 general elections. In these 75 years, the Election Commission, starting from the maiden election that was dubbed the ‘great experiment’, has overcome many challenges — demographic, geographic and logistical — with innovative thinking to make the electoral process easier and more accessible for voters.
It brought the ‘symbol system’ in the 1952-52 polls during which 27,527 booths across the country were reserved for women. In the following decades, the ECI brought facilities such as ramps and wheelchairs for persons with disability, Braille voter slips, EVMs with Braille signage, the reintroduction of electoral photo identity cards and using digitized photos in line with its maxim — “Leaving no voter behind”.
The ECI has leveraged digital technology to develop various mobile applications such as ‘cVigil’, besides aiming to make the election process more transparent, accountable and inclusive.
However, there has been criticism from a few quarters in the past few years, especially during elections, over issues linked with the functioning of EVMs at some polling stations.
Quraishi, who authored ‘An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election’, said the poll panel should be “more open and defend themselves if there is any criticism and call a press conference to respond to criticisms.”
Praising the colossal work performed by the ECI in the conduct of elections, he lamented that “marginal issues” or some issue reported with a few EVMs often became central, which subsumes the larger picture of the execution of this mammoth exercise.
Occasionally, the ECI faced logistical issues in some constituencies due to a very large number of candidates. But every time it has responded to such challenges and ensured the due electoral process through innovative solutions.
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) was introduced to improve transparency and verifiability in the poll process after the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, were amended and notified in August 2013. The option of ‘None of the Above’
Introduction of NOTA (None of the Above):
Another pivotal moment in India’s electoral evolution was the introduction of the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option. Implemented in 2014, NOTA provides voters with the choice to express dissatisfaction with all the candidates in a particular constituency. This addition underscored the commitment to ensuring voters’ freedom of expression and their right to reject unsuitable candidates.
While the maiden polls had 173 million electors, the size of the electorate grew to 911.9 million in the 2019 general elections which saw a record turnout of 67.4 per cent.
Former CEC Nasim Zaidi, in a foreword in ‘Election Atlas of India’ published in 2017, writes that the ECI “enjoys trust and confidence of people of the country for delivering regular, periodic, credible and acceptable elections every time and on time since 1952.

Conclusion:
From the simplicity of marking X on a paper ballot to the efficiency of Electronic Voting Machines and the empowerment of expressing dissent through NOTA, India’s electoral system has undergone a remarkable journey. The evolution reflects the nation’s commitment to democratic principles, transparency, and the integration of technology to enhance the democratic process. As technology continues to advance, it is likely that India’s electoral system will further evolve, ensuring that the democratic spirit remains at the forefront of the nation’s governance.