Elections & Electronic Voting Machines - US v Indians
I wanted to understand how the US election process, particularly the EVMs compares to India's and if you can steal an election in the US. Here is what I found.
I first heard of election fraud allegations in 2016 when Trump was elected. I was amused that the most advanced country was facing the same issue India was facing back in the 1990s. I dismissed it to election rhetoric, but the same issue came to the fore in the 2020 US presidential elections as well. This time Trump lost. This time I paid attention to some live feeds and discussions about the voting process in the US. My focus was the EVMs and the voting /ballot process. I was amazed at what I found.
US voting/ballot process and EVMs
Here are some interesting elements of the US election process in short.
US ballot papers are pretty complex.
US ballot paper addresses multiple elections in one paper.
It rather resembles an answer sheet of a competitive examination rather than a simple ballot paper.
Here is a picture of a sample ballot paper from two different states for the 2020 election:
Each ballot paper addresses elections to different offices - Federal offices - President and Vice President, Senators and US House of Representatives, Governor, Attorney General etc.
The voter is electing for many posts all at once. Usually, a voter is supposed to elect candidates for ten or more posts on this one ballot paper. She has to be prepared with what her choice is going to be for each of these ten or more posts BEFORE she enters the voting booth.
The voter is supposed to shade the circles or darken the circles corresponding to their choice using a black pen or a pencil.
Finally, voters can make their own suggestion voting for someone not on the ballot paper, say Tom Cruise, for president and write their choice in the blank space.
The US uses a few different types of EVMs.
The first type of EVMs is an optical scanner machine. These are similar to those used for scanning the answer sheets of competitive multiple-choice examinations. It simply scans the ballot paper darkened by the voter and reads the result using optical scanning of blackened circles. It must also read the handwritten choices if made. Then some machines keep the physical ballot paper as a record. Others scan the ballot paper and destroy the physical one.
The second type allows for selection on a touch screen where you keep making choices for all the elections one screen at a time. This experience is more like an ATM with multiple steps. There is space for adding your own choice to the options presented as well using a screen-based or physical keyboard. After all the options are marked, the machine produces a VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail), essentially a receipt detailing what you marked. If there is any discrepancy between what you actually marked and what is seen on VVPAT, you can raise a complaint.
The third type is not precisely a voting machine. It is used for counting the mail-in ballots as explained below.
The fourth type is online servers to record votes coming through emails and online options.
Finally, ballots can also be faxed. The fifth type of machine is a fax machine with a vote scanner built-in. In some cases, the EVMS in one of the above categories also has a built-in fax receiving and reading facility.
Mail-In Ballots are a unique situation!
The US allows people to send in marked ballot papers by post in an envelope with their signature affixed, declaring that the vote is by the person who is signing.
The voter has to post a cover envelope. Inside, there is another main envelope and a voter declaration with the voter’s name and signature. This inner envelope contains actual ballot paper.
The voter fills in her ballot paper, signs her declaration, puts both in a cover envelope and drops it in the specified boxes. These envelopes are collected from the boxes and post boxes by postal workers or contractors. Many cover envelopes have space where postal workers can sign that they handled this envelope.
An election officer opens the first envelope and feeds the main envelope and declaration into the EVM. The EVM verifies the signature with the voter’s name, and then the machine tears the main envelope, unfolds the ballot paper, and scans and reads the choices.
Counting and result process
Once election day has ended, the machines tally the votes. In this process, if there are errors or flags, then that ballot is passed on to the election supervisor, who makes a decision based on the situation and information.
After the counting is done, the machine connects to the internet and updates the relevant servers - federal servers for federal elections, state servers for state elections etc.
The results are declared from the server side, aggregating data from all the machines.
Checks and other factors
Election day is not a holiday in the US.
At the voting booth, there are party and independent observers in all booths and all stages of the process. There are volunteers to assist voters.
Every state has its own election commission that manages elections in that state. At a federal level, there is Election Assistance Commission that helps coordinate best practices between different state Election Commissions. EAC recommendations are voluntary.
Many states in the US do not have Voter ID Cards, any ID card is ok so long as your name is on the voter list and your ID card matches. Some do not check any ID card, you sign your name on the voter list, and that signature should match the record.
Indian election process
The Indian election process is both more straightforward and more complicated at the same time. Here are some interesting points.
Indian EVMs are a lot simpler!
India has just one type of EVMs. These are manufactured by two government companies - BEL, ECIL (they are involved in India’s high-tech weapon manufacturing). The EVM comprises 3 modules - a Booth officers console, voting machine, VVPAT attachment.
At the election booth, the first step is ID verification. You look up your name in the voter list and present your voter ID.
Once verified, you move to the main booth, where your finger is dabbed with indelible ink (it goes off in a week). Then you sign the corresponding to your name in front of the officer. Then you move to the voting compartment. Once you reach there, the officer presses his button, opening the machine for you remotely. You press the button next to the candidate of your choice, and a loud beep confirms that a selection has been made. You check the VVPAT and move out.
If there are other elections, you move to the second voting compartment again officer presses his authorization, and you find yourself in front of another machine with different names but quite similar. You press the button corresponding to your choice, beep, VVPAT, and you are out.
There is no other electronic voting mechanism - no fax, email, or other option.
Mail-in ballots in India
Mail-In ballots are for armed forces and certain employees situated abroad. These votes are based on paper ballots. They are not opened till the counting day.
If there is any error and you are unable to cast a vote electronically, then you are given a paper ballot and an envelope and the same is sealed and sent to the counting station.
If the winning margin is lower than the number of mail-in ballots cast, only then are they opened and counted.
Counting and results
All the votes are stored in the machine itself. The machine data cannot be erased or modified, or read by any computer. The machine has just one proprietary connector, and it is sealed and signed by all observers and officers before the start of the day.
Before the voting begins, the machine has a test run where observers can check if the vote they cast is being recorded correctly.
How many votes are cast and machine errors are highlighted on officers’ unit. The officer cannot see your vote, nor can he change anything. At the end of the day, the officer locks the machine, and it is physically secured in a location monitored by observers of all parties (so there are 20+ monitors at any time). These machines are transported along with the observers to the counting stations.
The machines are unsealed and use the proprietary connector connected to the counting machine. The counting machine displays the counts and additions from each machine as it is connected. The tally is then validated by observers and updated to the central server, where observers again verify the tally.
Checks and other factors
Election day is a holiday in India.
There is Central and State Election Commissions. The Central Election commission runs the central government elections. State commissions run the state and municipal elections. The Election Commission is an independent constitutional authority and enjoys the same protection as the Supreme Court. Thus, if the government wants to fire Election Commissioner, it can do so only on very limited grounds, and still, it requires a 2/3rd majority in both houses of Parliament.
Indian system does not allow for electing multiple offices such as treasurer, bailiff etc. There are limited elected representatives - Members of Parliament (Central government), members of state legislatures and members of municipal bodies.
The EVM checking and validation process is thus (courtesy- The Hindu):
Functional check: The machines are cleaned, and earlier results are cleared. Switches, buttons, cables and latches are inspected for damage.Â
Trial run: A mock poll is conducted. One vote is cast against each of the 16 candidate buttons. If VVPATs are used, six votes are polled for every candidate button. Results are verified.
Random check: Another mock poll is conducted on 5% of the total number of EVMs to be used for a poll. About 1,000 votes are polled, and the result printouts are shared with representatives of various political parties.Â
Throwing the dice: Two rounds of randomisation take place. During the first, EVMs are allocated at random to a constituency. In the second round, they are randomised and allocated to a polling booth.
Candidate listing: The candidate list with the symbol, name and party of the candidate is inserted into the ballot paper screen, and the ballot unit is closedÂ
Connecting the devices: The ballot unit is connected to the control unit. The control unit is opened, and the ‘candidate set’ button is pressed. Then the last candidate button on the balloting unit is pressed. This indicates that the EVM will have only this many candidates
A dry run: Before the start of the actual poll, a mock poll is conducted with at least 50 votes in the presence of candidates or their agents. The mock poll is then closed, and the results are displayed.
Final checks: On poll day, various checks are conducted by polling agents, observers and central paramilitary forces
End notes: The poll is closed by pressing the ‘close’ button on the control unit. The total number of votes polled is noted. Serial numbers of the seals used are also noted.
Safe and secure: EVMs are placed in their carrying cases and sealed. The machines are transported back to the reception centres under armed escort and kept in the strong room.
Comparing two systems
A few things strike me immediately.
Dumb machine + Robust Process V Smart machines + Unclear processes
I would characterize the Indian system as a dumb machine with a robust process. It is suited to Indian conditions, and there is no unnecessary complexity. Indian EVM is a simple machine - it simply counts and stores the values.
The US system uses smart machines, but the system, taken as a whole, is error-prone. The processes to validate ID, custody of the mail-in ballots, scanning and recognition has a higher error rate.
Human Intervention
Indian system has a lot of human intervention before voting begins. A voter has to jump through hoops to validate her identity. Then, voters can vote only after the officer releases the machine. And once the vote is cast, no one can interfere with the count. At the end of the day, the machines are sealed and taken to a locked place monitored by party observers, independent observers and the press 24x7. Human intervention is limited to the verification of ID, and this opens an opportunity to manipulate the system to a limited extent.
The US system allows election officers to make changes to the way the machine reads the scan. As per the process, this is done in the presence of the observers, but there is no way for observers to seal the machines when they leave. These lacunae open the possibility of a challenge to the veracity of the election. The mail-in ballots in the US have a chain of custody issue. Again the process has systems in place to ensure chain of custody, but the processes are quite cumbersome and prone to errors. It is not meant to handle large volumes of mail-in ballots as during COVID times.
The Indian system requires a lot of people to manage the process. This makes it difficult to subvert the system as the process is directly under observation at all times. None of the people can manipulate the machines. But it does need a lot of people.
The US system relies on less number of people and hence focuses on making machines do most of the jobs. But the error rate of machines requires more intervention than less.
Connectivity of EVM
Indian EVMs have limited connectivity. They have a wired connection to the Officers' terminal and a proprietary port that is sealed till the counting time. The machine cannot connect to WiFi, Bluetooth or whatever. The machines have to be physically transported to the counting stations with security cover.
US EVMs can connect to servers and the internet with stringent security protection protocols. However, an outside chance that these can be hacked cannot be ruled out. Hackers believe anything connected to the net can be hacked. I would say that possibility is relatively low. However, EVMs running updates and patches midway through the election process (but before the voting began) is surprising and dents confidence.
In Sum
In the end, I would conclude that US elections are difficult to hack though there is a possibility. The possibility of hacking the Indian election process is lesser than in the US. As Indian EVMs evolve, we need to keep the US experience in mind.
The US can do with some rules for designing the ballot papers. The US election process can do with some standardization between states. One possible way is for representatives from all the states to come together to create an Election council. The Council can create standard protocols for elections applicable across the US and resolve issues to make the election process robust and transparent.