Voice of AAM AADMI: 92
BALLOT PAPER MUST BE ENCOURAGED TO SAVE THE DIGNITY OF DEMOCRACY AND THE AUTHENTICITY OF A VOTE!
Paper Ballot is easy to understand:
Voting procedure is easy to understand and to commence. The voter just has to put an “X” in the box next to the name of the candidate of the voter’s choice.
Resistant to Fraud:
A paper ballot contains lots of useful information, not only the information about the vote but also the information about the voter. Each ballot paper is entirely different from another due to the different colors of ink, different styles of handwritings etc. hence erasing the original vote doesn’t seem to be easy. Creating fraudulent votes need much more hard work and then replacing them with the original votes isn’t a cheesy task.
Identical ballot and same system for all voters:
Military, absentee, provisional voters and disabled voters have the same ballot for voting.
Paper Ballots are inherently voter verified:
A voter can easily and immediately make out that his/her information and votes are verified. Nothing is hidden and confusing.
Ceases several voting attempts:
Each voter is given only one chance to vote. Like in some of the EVMs ‘smart cards’ need to be inserted to allow voting which can be misused by inserting it several times to vote.
Paper Ballot is like the official record of the vote:
After the voter mark the paper ballot it becomes the official record of the vote and then used in recounts.
The paper ballot system can easily adjust with additional voters at less cost:
If unexpectedly during a large turn-out in that case only additional privacy booths need to be provided and a single scanner can handle the large number of voters from multiple privacy booths and locations.
Continued voting without failure:
Unlike the EVMs, Paper ballot voting can be continued in the case of prolonged power failure and can be counted in hand during power failure.
Consumes less time and seems familiar:
Paper ballot voting is much easier and seems familiar than the EVMs voting. Especially the elders find it quite easy for them to understand and to vote through ballot paper. This reduces the time taken for voting.
No fear of technological errors:
Paper ballot voting included no electronic device hence there is no fear of hacking, fraud, replacement of parts, and errors in the electoral process. It’s safe and clean.
Extremely simple and without technical complexities:
Paper ballot is the simplest way of voting which is easy to implement and understand, there is nothing that a voter cannot identify and verify.
Gives no reason to escape from voting:
Paper Ballot is the traditional and the ancient way of voting that looks comfortable to each and every voter. There is no reason to make an escape from voting not at least because of the voting procedure in EVMs.
Purely Independent without outer Inferences:
Ballot paper voting doesn’t require any interference of manufacturers, political connections. It is purely dependent on the voter’s intent.
Elections are the foundation of our Democracy. Computers are always unsafe and prone to frauds. We need such an electoral process via ballet paper which is fraud free and non-vulnerable to tampering and malicious attempts. Computerized voting would be fallacious and the candidates be declared as the winners and hence our democracy is destroyed.
Voting must be kept as simple as possible if we truly want to show a collective will while choosing the right person for our government. Several countries have already rejected EVM voting system because it is just not reliable and trustworthy.
In India where the atmosphere is so much prone to corruption and dirty politics EVMs voting system is certainly not a beneficial idea. India needs a simple and ethical system that helps the voters to express themselves fully and freely. Ballot paper voting is the most suitable system for the present scenario of India.
BALLOT PAPER MUST BE ENCOURAGED TO SAVE THE DIGNITY OF DEMOCRACY AND THE AUTHENTICITY OF A VOTE!
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Information studied and collected By
Anandaraj Karunakaran- Ex - Navy Arm,
Aam Aadm Research and Development program,
Kamarajar Road, Kumbakonam,Tamilnadu, India-
e mail: a_karuna@live.com
NGO is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations