Election Commission says ready with remote EVM which will enable migrants to vote outside their States

Remote Electronic Voting Machines can handle multiple constituencies from a single remote polling booth

The Election Commission of India on Thursday said that it has developed a prototype for a Multi-Constituency Remote Electronic Voting Machine which would enable remote voting by migrant voters.

Remote Electronic Voting Machines (RVM) can handle multiple constituencies from a single remote polling booth.

The ECI said that it has invited all recognized 8 national and 57 State political parties on January 16 to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency prototype Remote EVM and has already shared a concept note with them on legal, operational, administrative and technological challenges.

The commission has solicited written views of recognised political parties by January 31 on various related issues including changes required in legislation, changes in administrative procedures and voting method or RVM technology, if any other, for the domestic migrants.

Sources in the Election Commission told The Hindu that the idea was to implement voter portability as a pilot project in the upcoming Assembly elections in nine states in 2023.

This means that if the pilot is successful then in the 2024 general elections voter portability can be fully implemented.

“Migration-based disenfranchisement is indeed not an option in the age of technological advancement. The voter turnout in General Elections 2019 was 67.4% and the Election Commission of India is concerned about the issue of over 30 crore electors not exercising their franchise and also differential voter turnout in various States/Union Territories,” the commission said in a statement.