Panel on Indian Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)

India is one of a number of nations that deploy a uniform computerized voting system in their national elections. As the second most populous nation, the challenges of running a national election across such a diverse electorate and geography is challenging. The Indian EVM voting system is considerably more simple than voting systems in the US; it has no interactive interface, no accessibility support, and is intended to operate in elections with only one (or very few) contests on the ballot. Recently, charges of irregularities perpetrated by technically-savvy attackers have surfaced. A group of academics and advocates published a security analysis of the Indian EVM this spring that highlights a number of serious vulnerabilities and describes a few practical exploits. The Electoral Commission of India has responded that these attacks are theoretical in nature and that reports of irregularities have not been substantiated to a degree that implicates deficiencies in the technology itself. This panel will present two researchers from the effort this spring, a representative from the Electoral Commission of India and an academic advisor to the Electoral Commission of India. Panelists will speak about the current state of Indian voting technology, the critiques made of the EVM, and what the future holds for voting technology in India.