Question

Discuss the changing voting methods in India over the years.

Answer 1

Instructions:

• Begin by discussing how elections were conducted before the 2000s.
• And, then can mention EVMs and list their advantages.

Solution:

1. In the first two elections, separate ballot boxes with each candidate's name and symbol were set up in the polling booth.
2. Voters had to put their blank ballot paper in the box for the candidate they wanted to support.
3. After the second election, voting began, with each voter using a ballot paper that contained the candidates' names and symbols.
4. Each voter had to deposit the ballot paper in a common ballot box.
5. From 2001, all state elections were conducted using EVMs.
6. This encouraged the ECI to use EVMs for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
7. Electronic Voting Machines allow voters to vote by pressing a button next to the name or image of the candidate they want to support.
8. The Supreme Court approved NOTA or ‘None Of The Above’ in 2013. This means that a person has the freedom of not selecting any undeserving candidate.