All posts tagged: Electronic Voting Machines

Elon Musk applauds India’s elections — after doubting the very system behind it; here’s what he had to say

Elon Musk applauds India’s elections — after doubting the very system behind it; here’s what he had to say

Published by Parlour News

Nov 24, 2024 05:20 PM IST Elon Musk lauds India’s one-day vote count, yet his previous skepticism of EVMs raises questions about his stance On Saturday, billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk praised India’s election system for its impressive efficiency in counting 640 million votes within a single day. Musk’s remarks came in response to a post on X that highlighted the article “How India Counted 640 Million Votes in a Day”.  His comments compared the speed of India’s vote counting with the slower process in California saying, “India counted 640 million votes in 1 day. California is still counting votes.” But this efficiency is not without its critics — one of them ironically being Musk himself.  Elon Musk on elections First, for some context —  it is important to note that in India, Electronic Voting Machines are the standard means of conducting elections which helps with quick counting. Alternatively, more Americans now vote through paper ballots. Due to this dependency on mail-in paper ballots, many areas, including California, experience delays in vote …

‘PM has good relations with Israel’: Congress’s ‘EVM-pager’ charge on EC | Latest News India

‘PM has good relations with Israel’: Congress’s ‘EVM-pager’ charge on EC | Latest News India

Published by Parlour News

Ahead of the announcement of dates for the Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly elections, Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Tuesday demanded that voting should be conducted using ballot papers. He said if electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used, the BJP government and the Election Commission “can do anything”. The Election Commission of India will announce the schedule for Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls. He said if Israel could kill people by rigging their pagers, anything could happen. He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has very good relations with Israel. “In Maharashtra, the opposition should put pressure to insist on voting by paper ballot and not EVMs. Otherwise, in Maharashtra, BJP government and EC can do anything. If Israel can kill people by use of pagers and walkie-talkies, then where does EVM stand? The PM has very good relations with Israel. Israel is an expert in such things,” he told ANI. “EVM’s big game can happen anywhere. Hence, the BJP plays this game before the elections,” he claimed. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) alleged that …

Congress to form technical team to investigate EVM complaints in Haryana | Latest News India

Congress to form technical team to investigate EVM complaints in Haryana | Latest News India

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Oct 10, 2024 08:34 PM IST The Congress has called for an investigation into ‘discrepancies’ found in electronic voting machines during the Haryana assembly elections. The Congress party on Thursday decided to set up a technical team to investigate the complaints and alleged discrepancies related to electronic voting machines (EVMs) raised by its candidates in Haryana. Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda speaks to the media after meeting election commissioners at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi on Wednesday. (HT_PRINT) The decision was made after the party convened a meeting in Delhi to discuss the results of the Haryana elections, in which it faced a setback, winning only 37 seats. Earlier, the Congress party on Wednesday called for a thorough investigation into the “discrepancies” found in several electronic voting machines during the counting of votes for the Haryana assembly elections. The party leaders urged that these EVMs be sealed and secured until the inquiry is completed. A delegation of senior leaders including former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot, as well as AICC members KC …

Kapil Sibal releases checklist for parties to follow on counting day | Latest News India

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Rajya Sabha MP and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal released a checklist for political parties and their polling/counting agents to follow on June 4 when the votes cast in the seven phases of the general elections are counted, making it clear for them what to watch for when control units (CU) of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are accessed to count votes. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal addresses a press conference in Delhi on Sunday. (PTI) “A lot of people are saying that these machines are possibly tampered with. So, we want to make sure that they are not tampered with, nothing more than that. We are not saying they are tampered with. Any machine can be tampered with. It is not as if there is any machine in the world that cannot be tampered with. We trust it; we aren’t saying that there is no trust. However, until the voter does not see that the vote they cast has been counted towards that candidate…It is only for this reason that we have given this,” Sibal …

‘Blindly distrusting any…’: In EVM-VVPAT case, Supreme Court calls for ‘trust, harmony’ | Latest News India

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New Delhi: Rejecting pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using electronic voting machines (EVMs) via Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, the Supreme Court observed that blindly distrusting any aspect of the system can lead to unwarranted skepticism. Supreme Court on VVPAT: Two judges delivered two separate but concurring verdicts.(File) A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, while dismissing pleas in the matter, observed that “democracy is all about striving to build harmony and trust between all institutions”. HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now! Two judges delivered two separate but concurring verdicts. “While maintaining a balanced perspective is crucial in evaluating systems or institutions, blindly distrusting any aspect of the system can breed unwarranted skepticism…,” Justice Datta observed. “Instead, a critical yet constructive approach guided by evidence and reason should be followed to make room for meaningful improvements and to ensure the system’s credibility and effectiveness,” he added. The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to seal and store units used to load …

Can’t pull down EVMs… voting humongous task: Supreme Court | Latest News India

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The current system of polling through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) cannot be pulled down without there being any substantial issue of propriety in the process, the Supreme Court observed on Tuesday, advocating caution against the perils of reverting to the traditional ballot box system. The Supreme Court said that voting in India is a “humongous task” that may not even be possible for several European countries. (HT photo) A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta cited the sheer size of India’s population and the vast number of voters as key factors, as it heard a clutch of petitions demanding 100% cross-verification of votes cast on EVMs with Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), just days before the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. At present, the VVPAT-EVM verification is limited to five in each assembly segment of a constituency. Unlock exclusive access to the story of India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Alternatively, the petitions argued in favour of going back to the ballot box system, contending …

Law Commission may submit report to govt. on simultaneous polls next week

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Election officials having a look at electronic voting machines (EVM) in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. | Photo Credit: The Hindu The Law Commission may submit its report on simultaneous elections to the government next week in which it could recommend adding a new chapter to the Constitution on ‘one nation, one election’ and holding the gigantic democratic exercise for Lok Sabha, State Assemblies and local bodies across the country by mid-2029. According to sources, the Commission, under Justice (retired) Ritu Raj Awasthi, would recommend an amendment to the Constitution to add the “new chapter or part” on simultaneous polls. The panel would also recommend synchronising the terms of Legislative Assemblies in “three phases” in the next five years so that the first simultaneous elections could be held in May-June 2029 when elections for the 19th Lok Sabha are due, they said. The new chapter in the Constitution would include issues related to “simultaneous election”, “sustainability of simultaneous elections” and “common electoral roll” for Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, panchayats and municipalities so that the three-tier simultaneous polls …

Morning briefing: EC’s reply to Congress on EVMs; revelations about Epstein list | Latest News India

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The Election Commission (EC) assured Congress leader Jairam Ramesh that the current Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) comply with the legal framework and jurisprudence established over 40 years. Responding to concerns raised by the 28-party Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, the EC highlighted the dismissal of petitions against EVMs by the Supreme Court and the Delhi high court, with costs imposed on petitioners for filing frivolous applications. The EC’s letter clarified that anything beyond the existing legal framework is beyond its singular domain. The INDIA bloc proposed allowing voters to verify VVPAT slips directly and urged 100% counting of VVPAT slips. Dig Deeper Polling officials collect EVMs and other polling materials. (PTI/File) The Jeffrey Epstein case unveils further disturbing details as new documents linked to his private island, dubbed ‘Paedo Island,’ are unsealed. The files suggest Epstein paid $200 for each young woman brought to him as part of an exploitation scheme, with high school kids among the victims. Unconfirmed identities and detailed allegations of these victims emerge. The release reveals that former Secretary …