Voter verifiable machines to be used in Uttarakhand polls

DEHRADUN: Newly-developed Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail Machines (VVPATMs) will be used along with the Electronic Voting Machines at about 763 polling booths during the upcoming assembly polls in Uttarakhand, state’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Radha Raturi said on Wednesday.
The VVPATMs will enable the voter to ensure that he has cast vote for the candidate of his choice.It will also ensure that the authorities have the proof of the votes bagged by each candidate in case political parties raise any objection and demand re-poll.
Briefing about the features of the new voting machine, senior election officers said that the names of the candidates and the parties they belong to will appear on the machines soon after process of voting by the voter is over on the polling day.
While demonstrating the VVPATMs at a workshop organised by CEO to apprise the people about the new machine at Secretariat, Raturi said that the machine will be used for the first time during the polls in the hill state.
She pointed out that the automated machine will be easy to operate and dispel the confusion about voting.
“There are a number of voters who by mistake may push the buttons in favour of the candidates and parties they do not want to vote. In such cases, this machine will ascertain whom they voted to the satisfaction of voters,” said a senior election officer.