FROM 1982 TO 2024: THE HISTORY OF EVMS USED IN INDIAN ELECTIONS
An electronic device called an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is used to register votes during elections. It is simple to use and tamper-proof.
It was introduced as an alternative for ballots and was first used in Kerala's Assembly District No. 70 Parvur in May 1982.
A control unit and a voting unit are joined by a cable to form an EVM. While the balloting unit is stored in a compartment to cast ballots, the control unit belongs to the polling officer.
By pressing the "result" switch, which is housed in a sealed compartment of the control unit, the counting station will instantly know the results after the polling is complete.
Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited are two Central Government undertakings that manufacture EVMs.
Due to their ability to run on alkaline batteries, EVMs can even be utilised in locations without access to electricity.
In the 2004 general elections, 1.75 million electronic voting machines (EVMs) were utilised throughout all polling places in India, transforming it into an e-democracy.
EVMs can be used to conduct elections as long as there are no more than 64 candidates. A maximum of 3,840 votes may be recorded on one EVM.
After a Supreme Court decision that mandated that voting machines must have legal support, EVMs were no longer allowed to be used after 1983. In December 1988, the law was eventually changed.
10.75 lakh electronic voting machines (EVMs) were utilised nationwide in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Since that time, EVMs are used in every election.