Election FAQs: What is a VVPAT and how does it work in an election?

The VVPAT machine has a transparent window where a voter can see the printed slip that contains the name and symbol of the party they have voted for about 7 seconds

A term often associated with elections is 'VVPAT'.

VVPAT stands for Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail. It is a ballotless system that prints a paper slip with the name of the candidate, his/her serial number and the symbol of the party he/she is standing for.

The VVPAT machine also has a transparent window where a voter can see the printed slip that contains the name and symbol of the party they have voted for for about 7 seconds. The VVPAT machine essentially acts as a verification machine for a candidate who can ensure whether their vote has indeed been taken into account for their intended candidate or not.

After one sees the printed slip in the window of the VVPAT machine, it goes inside a sealed ballot compartment of the machine.

Also Read | What happens when there is a mismatch between EVMs and VVPATs?

So how is it put to use?

The slips stored in a VVPAT machine can be used to corroborate the results of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) but it can only happen in special situation, for e.g- if there are allegations of vote fraud or miscalculation, then the EC can direct for the slips to be counted. In such a situation when the VVPAT slips are counted, the paper slips are considered to hold precedence over the EVM results.

The Supreme Court in 2019 had directed the Election Commission to increase the voter verified paper audit trial (VVPAT) verification to five random Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in each assembly segment/constituency head of the Lok Sabha elections.

However, the EVMs and VVPATs are separate entities and not connected to any network. The EC has always maintained that botht he systems are fail-safe methods and thre are security measures involved while conducting an election.

The VVPAT machine was first introduced in India in 2014 general elections and they are made by the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and Bharat Electronic Ltd (BEL).