eci-rebuts-tulsi-gabbard-s-evm-hacking-concerns

Amidst fresh concerns raised by US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, about electronic voting systems being vulnerable to hacking, sources from the Election Commission of India (ECI) have clarified that Indian voting machines are fully secure and cannot be connected to the internet.

 

Tulsi Gabbard, while speaking to the media on Thursday, claimed that electronic voting machines in the United States had shown evidence of long-standing vulnerabilities.

 

According to her, hackers have been able to exploit these systems to manipulate vote results. She emphasised the need for paper ballots to ensure public confidence in electoral outcomes.

 

Responding to her remarks, ECI sources explained that different countries use varying models of electronic voting machines. Some of these include systems that are networked or use private connections, making them susceptible to interference. However, Indian EVMs are entirely standalone.

 

The ECI clarified that Indian voting machines do not have internet connectivity, Wi-Fi, or any external network access. They function more like basic calculators and are designed to be tamper-proof and accurate.

 

These machines have been tested under legal scrutiny and have stood up to challenges in the Supreme Court of India. Political parties are given opportunities to verify their working at several stages before and during the elections.

 

One of the key checks includes mock polls conducted before the actual voting begins. This ensures transparency and builds trust among all stakeholders. Additionally, the Commission noted that more than 5 crore VVPAT slips have been matched with votes during counting, in the presence of political parties.

 

Earlier, on 31 March, the Election Commission concluded its largest-ever engagement drive with political parties across India. Over a 25-day period, the Commission held 4,719 meetings involving Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers.

 

According to the ECI, these meetings aimed to build awareness and strengthen communication between electoral officials and party representatives. Over 28,000 political party members took part in the interactions across various levels.

 

Through these efforts, the ECI has underlined its commitment to transparency, security and fairness in India’s election process, especially at a time when global concerns about voting machine security are once again being discussed.