THIRTY-NINE eminent citizens have urged the Election Commission to reconsider its decision of using electronic voting machines in a maximum of 150 seats in the next parliamentary polls. In a statement issued on September 6, a group of well-meaning citizens said that the use of voting machines will further deepen the political crisis, especially when a majority of registered political parties are strongly opposed to the electronic voting technology. In the recent dialogue that the commission held with political parties, the use of voting machines remained the most contentious issue and some members of the ruling alliance also stood against it. The technology that the commission chose for voting does not have a voter verified paper audit trail, which means, as the citizens suggest, the election results of the commission will be final and there is no scope for recounting or auditing. The reported incidents of technical errors in voting machines make it evident that there is room for digital manipulation. The public mistrust in the system is, however, not made exclusively on technological terms but founded on voters’ experience of disenfranchisement because of the alleged presence of the ruling party people in EVM booths.
The citizens also questioned the huge expenditure involved in the process of introducing the electronic voting technology. They have termed the decision to spend huge amount of public money injudicious, especially when people are struggling to survive. The citizens concerned have also talked about a global unpopularity of voting machines. In two decades, more than 20 countries, including Australia, India and Venezuela, have tried the voting machines with varying degrees of adoption and rejection. In Europe, some of the most technologically advanced nations such as Ireland, Italy, Finland, Germany, Holland and Norway have gone back to paper-based voting after brief experiments with EVMs in the 2000s. When the electronic voting technology has failed to gain the confidence of voters, the Election Commission’s decision on EVM use will deepen the commission’s credibility crisis. The commission should have taken concerns of political parties about EVM use seriously. It has, instead, supported the ruling Awami League’s position on EVMs, which lends credence to the public perception that the commission is acting in the interest of the ruling party amidst widespread opposition.
In recent months, the chief election commissioner has acknowledged that the commission is in crisis over the next national elections as the electoral system and politics have rotten. In what follows, the decision on the use of controversial devices could further damage the electoral culture and credibility. It is, therefore, high time that the Election Commission reckoned with the sanctity of the power they are entrusted with, delivered their job without fear or favour and, at least, not let the commission be dictated by any partisan bias. In the context of declining voter turnout, the commission’s decision on the use of the EVM technology leaves room to question its commitment in holding a credible national election.
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Editor: Nurul Kabir , Published by the Chairman, Editorial Board ASM Shahidullah Khan on behalf of Media New Age Ltd. Hamid Plaza (4th floor), 300/5/A/1, Bir Uttam CR Datta Road, Hatirpool, Dhaka-1205. PABX: +8802-9632245-48. Fax: +8802-9632250, E-mail: [email protected]
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