Delhi EC’s VVPAT Awareness Campaign: Will it Ensure High Turnout?

We stumbled upon ‘Democracy on Wheels’ in Vivek Vihar, to find out how the EC officers are creating awareness.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

The Delhi Election Commission officials had an added an additional responsibility this poll season – to show Delhiites how the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) works.

With the ‘Democracy on Wheels’ initiative, launched in January 2019, a group of EC officials, who otherwise were stuck to their desks, were tasked with taking the electronic voting machines (EVMs) along with VVPAT machines across the city and demonstrate it to the voters.

According to an EC official, one vehicle has been assigned for each Lok Sabha constituency.

The Quint tumbled upon one such 'Democracy on Wheels’ in Vivek Vihar market, which falls under the East Delhi constituency. A sizable crowd is gathered outside the vehicle, which houses the two machines, along with a television set.

At least three officials are present in it, and they urge the voters to come in, one by one to try out the machine.

The crowd, initially hesitant, soon starts queuing up to try out the machine.

“I thought it was some testing machine. So I thought we should also see what it is. If something needs to be tested, we should also get it done.”

Santosh Sharma, Resident

The public is then asked to cast mock votes, and the officers explain that the VVPAT attached with the EVM in the vehicle will make sure that their vote has been registered properly.

“There might have been doubts earlier on whether our vote went to the right person. But now the solution for everything is VVPAT. Whoever you vote for, their symbol, name will be displayed here for 7 seconds. After that, the slip will fall into the ballot box, which the candidate won’t get.”

EC Official

But, with questions raised over EVMs and VVPATs in the recent times, how convinced are the citizens?

“I’d heard about the VVPAT machine earlier, but with the EC showing it in personIt will benefit people who don’t know about it. We will get the convenience of knowing who we have voted for, which we can see on the display.”

While the awareness drive has piqued the interest of the people, will it lead to an increase in voter turnout?