REMOTE EVM - POLITY
News: Election
Commission says ready with remote EVM which will enable migrants to vote
outside their States
What's in the news?
● The
Election Commission of India said that it has developed a prototype for a Multi-Constituency Remote Electronic Voting
Machine which would enable remote voting by migrant voters.
Key takeaways:
● Remote
Electronic Voting Machines (RVM) can handle multiple constituencies from a
single remote polling booth.
● The
ECI said that it has invited all recognized 8 national and 57 State political
parties on January 16 to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency
prototype Remote EVM and has already shared a concept note with them on legal,
operational, administrative and technological challenges.
● Sources
in the Election Commission told The Hindu that the idea was to implement voter
portability as a pilot project in the upcoming Assembly elections in nine states
in 2023.
Why Remote EVMs?
● Migration-based
disenfranchisement is indeed not an option in the age of technological
advancement.
● The
voter turnout in General Elections 2019 was 67.4% and the Election Commission
of India is concerned about the issue of over 30 crore electors not exercising
their franchise and also differential voter turnout in various States/Union
Territories.
EC Role:
● The
commission said that a concept note has been circulated amongst political
parties highlighting the challenges of defining domestic migrants,
implementation of Model Code of Conduct, ensuring secrecy of voting, facility
of polling agents for identification of voters, process and method of remote
voting, and counting of votes amongst other issues.
● Among
the laws and rules which would need an amendment to implement remote voting is The Representation of People’s Act of 1950
and 1951, The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and The Registration of Electors
Rules, 1960.
Definition of Migrant Voters:
● The
definition of migrant voter would also need to be reworked with respect to
retaining registration at the original place in the context of the legal
construct of “ordinary residence” and “temporary absence”.
● Also,
the territorial constituency concept of remote voting and defining remoteness
itself that is an outside constituency, outside district or outside state will
need to be dealt with.
Challenges:
● The
administrative challenges includes
○ Enumerating remote
voters-self declaration.
○ Ensuring
secrecy of voting at remote locations.
○ Number
of polling booths to be set up and their locations.
○ Implementation of Model
Code of Conduct in remote locations.
○ Technological
challenges would be the method of remote voting.
○ The
familiarity of the voters with the Multi-Constituency Remote EVM and counting
of votes.
○ Provision
of polling agents at remote voting booths and
○ Ensuring
identification of voters to avoid impersonation.