The Election Commission of India has developed a prototype of a Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM). Once the RVM is operational, migrant workers within India need not have to travel to their home districts to register their votes.
The RVM will be a multi-constituency electronic voting machine that can support a maximum of 72 constituencies and will have safety features similar to the EVMs in use. After pre-registering their names, voters can vote in a Remote voting booth close to their current residence.
Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, “Remote voting is a fundamental reboot for an inclusive and participative democracy.” Talking to a leading news daily, Kumar revealed that 30 crore migrant voters were unable to vote in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as they had moved elsewhere for their livelihood and labor. He cited “urban apathy, youth apathy, and migration-based disenfranchisement” as issues the EC had focused to address.
The Election Commission has invited political parties for a demonstration of the Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM) Prototype on January 16 to take all the stakeholders on board. The poll body has also sought an opinion from the parties on legal, administrative, and technical impediments it may have to handle before introducing.
However, the Congress party said proceeding with RVM without clearing the opposition’s apprehensions on EVM misuse “would seriously undermine trust” in the electoral system.