VELLORE: The personnel posted to demonstrate the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to the public visiting the Collectorate were clueless when some persons asked questions regarding the safety mechanism of the machine.
Some of the visitors sought to know if the EVMs were foolproof against bogus voting, but the staff had no answer.
With the ECI deciding on January 1, 2024, as the date when final poll rolls for the ensuing elections will be released, districts were ordered to explain the use of EVMs and VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines as part of creating awareness among the public.
At the Vellore Collectorate’s lobby, a ballot unit, control unit, and VVPAT machine were kept for demonstration purposes. The two persons manning the booth said, “Around 50 members of the public on average were visiting the booth every day from Monday.”
However, the officials were unable to answer when an old man demanded to know whether the same process was being followed in the polls even after allegations that the machines could be programmed to favour a specific political party.
The personnel later said, “When we are asked questions to which we do not know the answer we direct the question to the election section as they are the right people to answer such queries.”