The Election Commission of India (ECI) is under scrutiny for its approach to the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) based audit of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Critics argue that the ECI’s prescribed sample size of “five EVMs per Assembly constituency” lacks statistical rigor, leading to significant margins of error. On the other hand, demands for larger sample sizes like “25% or 50% samples” or even a 100% manual count of all VVPAT voter slips are also criticized for lacking statistical basis. Transparency and clarity regarding the ECI’s decision rules in case of discrepancies are urged for a more robust audit process.
Challenges in India’s VVPAT-based EVM Audit
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