Bihar Assembly Election 2020: What are VVPATs and what is the process of counting?

VVPATs are an extension of EVMs, and clarify the casted vote in the form of a paper slip

Indians try out the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in conjunction with the Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), a ballotless voting system, at an Election Commission demonstration. Credit: AFP

What are VVPATs?

The VVPAT stands for Verified Paper Audit Trail and is a mere extension of the EVM. As a voter enters the designated area to cast their vote on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), a paper slip is printed depicting the poll symbol and the name of the candidate. This process is done through the VVPAT. It also allows the voter to verify their choice to ensure no discrepancies.

This printed paper slip will be visible to the voter through a transparent glass for approximately seven seconds. The ballot slip will then be separated and it lands in the dropbox of the VVPAT machine, after which a beep is heard.

These VVPAT machines can only be accessed by polling officers.

How are they different from EVMs?

EVMs and VVPATs are not two different methods to record one's vote, as the latter is used to clarify the voter's choice. It is a part of the black-box EVM.

What is the process of counting VVPATs?

The Election Commission (EC) does not count and verify each VVPAT with the EVM vote, but carries out the process based on a random sample.

In the 2019 elections, the Supreme Court ordered the EC to check one in five EVM-VVPATs per assembly segment. The EC decided that the counting of VVPATs would be done in chronological order.

The verification of VVPAT slips is conducted inside a secured VVPAT Counting Booth in the counting hall, and only authorised personnel have access to this counting booth.