Synopsis:
EVM Controversy deepens as several countries ban electronic voting over transparency and trust issues, while political tensions rise in India under BJP rule.
From Germany to Ireland, nations are stepping back from electronic voting systems—raising questions about democracy, fairness, and political accountability in India.
Qalam Times News Network
Kolkata | 08 August 2025
The EVM Controversy has once again taken center stage in both global and Indian politics. Across the world, nations like Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland have abandoned or banned electronic voting machines, citing vulnerabilities to hacking, lack of transparency, and declining public trust. Even in countries that continue to use them, such as the United States and Venezuela, paper audit trails remain a crucial safeguard against manipulation.
Germany
Germany’s Constitutional Court banned EVMs outright, declaring them unfit for political use after concerns about hacking risks and the absence of verifiable records.
Netherlands
In 2008, the Dutch council prohibited EVMs on the grounds of transparency, following growing doubts among citizens about the authenticity of results.
Ireland
Ireland invested over £51 million in EVMs, only to scrap the system after three years, citing a lack of trust and verifiable transparency.
England
While England conducted multiple pilot programs for electronic voting, none translated into statutory use. In January 2016, Parliament confirmed it had no plans to introduce electronic voting in polling booths or via the internet.
France
France experimented with EVMs during the 2007 presidential primaries but moved towards remote internet voting instead. Since 2009, online voting has been institutionalized, preferred over both EVMs and paper ballots in certain contexts.
Italy
In 2006, Italy trialed Nedap voting machines in a limited pilot project. Following the experiment, the country returned to paper ballots, citing lower costs and easier management.
The Hybrid Model
While several nations have walked away from EVMs entirely, others have adopted a hybrid approach—combining EVMs with paper ballots. In parts of the United States and Venezuela, paper trails accompany every vote, enabling cross-verification and protecting the integrity of election outcomes. This simple step has helped maintain trust while containing disputes.
India’s Divergent Path
In India, the EVM Controversy exists within a far more charged political climate. Since 2014, critics contend that the Modi-led BJP government has presided over one of the most turbulent phases in the nation’s democratic history. Allegations range from communal provocations—such as the reported poisoning of a school’s water supply by members of the Shri Ram Army, allegedly to implicate a Muslim headmaster—to the selective closing of corruption cases against BJP-affiliated leaders while pursuing opponents aggressively.
In West Bengal, opposition parties accuse BJP leaders of never publicly advocating communal harmony, further eroding trust. Detractors argue that political institutions are being bent to partisan purposes, with the refusal to universally implement paper audit trails for EVMs seen not as oversight, but as a deliberate erosion of electoral safeguards.
As other democracies strengthen verification mechanisms, India’s continued resistance to paper trails fuels suspicion—and raises the question: can public faith in elections survive without a system voters trust?
