The Most Common Electronic Voting Devices Used for Conducting Polls

Electronic voting devices are the most common form of live voting tool used at meetings and large events. From elections in large democracies down to polls for local councils and even student bodies they are being used widely around the world. These devices have gained immense popularity by doing away with many of the downsides of traditional ballot-based voting while reducing the recurring costs involved in the process. They improve efficiency in the whole process, expedite the result declaration and most importantly make the election calculation fair and accountable. Here we take a look at some of the most common electronic voting devices that are being used around the world.

• Clickers

They are the most commonly used electronic voting devices as they are both cost effective and easy to use. These voting devices are widely used in classrooms, meetings and corporate gatherings. They can be used for conducting polls for dozens to thousands of users. In this voting system every voter has a hand-held device which allows them to choose a candidate, vote for the motion, or select their answer choice with the press of a button. Depending on the model these devices allow users to choose between five and unlimited options using their keypads. Some of the advanced clickers also come with texting options that allow the users to type questions which are extremely useful in classrooms. Clickers work on a plug and play mode and can be set up in a short time span.

• Electronic Voting Machines

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Systems or EVMs as they are popularly called have found widespread use across the world. The largest democracy in the world India conducts its General and Local elections using EVMs. There are different types of EVMs which use keypads, touch screens or mouse in the front end to allow voters to cast their votes. At the backend there is an electronic recording system that registers the votes. The results can be declared manually or electronically via Internet or cellular network. The advanced versions of EVMS also have a paper audit trail which allows voters to verify if the votes are registered according to their choice and this also validates the results during the counting phase.

• Mobile App Based Voting Systems

In the smartphone age mobile app based voting systems have eased the entire process of conducting polls and counting results. This is the most cost effective means of conducting polls as there is no investment in hardware. You need to set up a poll using one of the many voting apps available on Android and iOS platforms and ask voters to download the apps in their devices. Once done and when you open the polls, users can register their votes and the winners of the polls can be announced using the same app. Mobile apps can also be used in conjunction with clickers and other forms of electronic voting devices.

• Electronic Ballot Printers

This voting system is similar to EVMs with the only difference being that instead of storing the vote electronically as is done in the case of EVMs these Ballot Printers merely print the voting choice for the voter who then casts the vote using these printed forms which contains their choices like in a traditional ballot box. The votes in the ballot boxes can be counted manually in the traditional way or electronically using codes. Advocates for these electronic voting devices say that this is an easier transition for the voters from the traditional ballot based systems and allows voters to verify their vote which is one of the major criticisms for EVMs without paper trails where there is no means for the users to verify their votes.

• Internet Voting System

This is an advanced form of voting where voters cast their votes using a computer or a laptop and the same is registered on a centralized database. This voting system can be used to conduct polls in remote location and is only dependent on Internet access. Voting over internet can happen both in supervised (voting at designated centres) or unsupervised (voting from anywhere with authorized access) modes. This voting system has many benefits as it can allow voters with mobility issues or those who are live far away from voting centres to cast their votes towards a preferred candidate. Since their votes are registered on a secured server they are able to cut down on common malpractices during polling. The results can be counted electronically within minutes of close of poll and the results can be declared immediately.

Electronic voting devices have made elections fairer and easier to conduct. They have democratized the process in true sense and have played a pivotal role in doing away with the major ills of traditional ballot based voting.

Summary – Here in this article we take a look at the most common electronic voting devices and also discuss their usage in different scenarios.

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