The Electronic Voting Machines: Revolutionizing Direct Elections

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) have seen extensive use in India's Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, but remain unsuitable for presidential and vice-presidential elections due to their design as vote aggregators for direct voting.

Presidential elections utilize a system of proportional representation with single transferable votes, a method incompatible with current EVM technology. Instead, voters rank candidates in order of preference on paper ballots.

Originally conceived in the 1970s and facing initial legal hurdles, EVMs have ultimately transformed the voting landscape in India. Leveraging technological evolution, they have become a mainstay in conducting efficient and secure elections in the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)