India's electronic voting machines impresses Clinton

Image
Lalit K Jha PTI Washington
Last Updated : Jan 21 2013 | 12:29 AM IST

The opposition parties might be raising questions over electronic voting machines of India, but the EVMs and credible electoral system have impressed the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

"India adopted automated computerised voting several elections ago. We think about India with more than a billion people, something like a half a billion, 600 million vote, illiterate people vote by looking at the pictures on the punch card at the – both the faces and the symbols of parties," Clinton told ABS-CBN television news channel in an interview when asked about Philippines moving from manual to automated voting system.

"What I was so impressed by is that the way India has set this up and I do not know how the Philippines has actually set it up they took it out of politics. It is run by a board of civil servants so that the politicians of any party are not involved in it. And it is so highly effective that nobody questions the results of the elections," Clinton said.

When asked about Philippines transition from manual to automation Clinton said, "Based on our own experience, there will be some bumps in the road. When we moved towards automation, we had some problems, but you just keep working on it and keep perfecting it."

"There could be some dry runs, not of a full election, but trying out the technology, making sure you know how it works, educating voters about it. But in many places, it's proven to be quite successful, and I hope the same for you," Clinton said.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 14 2009 | 11:56 AM IST

Next Story