Polling in India: Triumph of tech

With India headed for elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, it’s worth remembering that the concept of electoral democracy is not Greek to the country and it predates Western influence.
 

Between the 7th century BCE and the 4th century BCE, the Indian subcontinent was home to ganasanghas (republics), such as Shakya and Licchavi, where governance was conducted by a council of representatives elected by the populace. Then voting was primarily done by a show of hands. Between the 8th and 16th centuries, southern Indian kingdoms had an electoral system to elect members of sabas, under which villagers wrote their preferred candidate’s name on a palm leaf and dropped it in a pot.

This democratic tradition has evolved over centuries, with the largest and arguably oldest democracy now leading the world in the use of technology in electoral voting processes with electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs).
 

But let’s give credit where credit’s due: Americans, particularly George Gallup's quota-selected polls in 1936, led the scientific conduct and study of opinion polls and elections in general. Also, in 1952, for the first time, computers were brought in to help predict the outcome of a Presidential election, with UNIVAC rightly forecasting a landslide victory for Republican Dwight Eisenhower.
 

Voting methods are a fundamental aspect of election administration and management. Also, the right to vote, secrecy, verifiability, and transparency are their crucial components. Different democracies across the world have adopted various voting methods based on their historical conditions and legal-constitutional provisions.
 

The history of modern voting systems starts with traditional methods, such as paper ballots and public counting, but these techniques are prone to human error and manipulation. Over time, the need for more efficient and reliable methods led to technological developments in this area. Countries like Ghana and Kenya have attempted biometric voting using fingerprints, Estonia has implemented online polling, and Brazil and the Philippines use EVM-like systems.
 

India initially used paper ballots, a medium infamous for rigging and voter fraud. In 1982, the Election Commission of India conducted its first trial with EVMs in Paravur, Kerala. By 2004, these machines were used in all 543 Parliamentary constituencies.
 

Even as heated debates over the reliability of EVMs continue, the next logical step for the poll body will be to allow online voting. This could lead to a surge in voter participation by offering the convenience of casting votes from any location, especially for migrant voters and the elderly.
 

Also, online voting could reduce costs associated with transporting and safeguarding booth materials and EVMs and potentially expedite vote-counting processes. The government and the Election Commission could leverage the success of online payment systems, such as UPI, and advancements in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for implementation of the new system.

However, an online voting system would face challenges from cyberattacks, software errors, voter verification challenges, and general trust issues.
 

In this context, Estonia, which has allowed all voters to cast ballots from any internet-connected computer anywhere in the world since 2005, serves as a noteworthy example. “From the election web page, voters first download a voting application and launch it on their own computers. Next, they authenticate themselves using the Estonian ID card or a mobile ID, view the list of candidates running in their district, make their choice, encrypt it and confirm their vote with a digital signature. The entire process takes less than two minutes on average,” according to a 2022 study published in Government Information Quarterly.

With regard to online voting, blockchain’s encrypted and decentralised muscle can weed out voter fraud and threats of being influenced by a single party. Blockchain’s database is not stored in a single place but exists on a chain of computers, also known as nodes on its network. It can also provide a unique and anonymous digital identity like a non-fungible token (NFT) for each voter, thus preventing double-voting, fraud or coercion.
 

However, such a system would face several challenges and limitations, such as scalability issues due to large volumes of transactions, and compliance with the legal and regulatory frameworks of various jurisdictions.
 

To further streamline the voting process, artificial intelligence prowess in data analytics could also be harnessed to spot anomalies in voting results at specific stations and ensure voters are free from undue influence, offering another layer of security to the democratic process.
 

As these technologies evolve, it is hoped that the challenges surrounding them could be overcome, paving the way for a more inclusive and efficient electoral process that is fit for a developed India in 2047.

WATCH: How do EVMs and VVPAT work? General Elections