Ebbing Public Trust in Election Process Can and Must Be Reversed

The recently held 18th Lok Sabha elections saw the participation of 642 million voters, 312 million women among them. Nearly 5.5 million electronic voting machines (EVMs) were deployed across more than one million polling stations, supported by 15 million election workers and security personnel. The Election Commission of India (ECI) for the first time extended the facility of voting from home on a pan-India basis to voters with disabilities and those over the age of 85.

Despite these impressive achievements, the elections were marred by controversies, inconsistencies and accusations of manipulation. Significant concerns were raised about the efficacy and potential tampering of EVMs. There were also suspicions surrounding the appointment of election commissioners. Additionally, numerous complaints emerged about missing names and errors in the voters’ list, along with reports of excessively long waiting times for casting votes.

While there is considerable anecdotal evidence for these allegations, we sought to examine whether they were substantiated by hard facts. The Lokniti programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) conducted both pre-poll and post-poll surveys during the 18 Lok Sabha elections, which offer valuable insights. The Lokniti-CSDS pre-poll survey collected responses from 10,019 individuals across 19 states, conducted in 400 polling stations spanning 100 assembly constituencies within 100 parliamentary constituencies. The post-poll survey gathered responses from 19,663 respondents across 23 states, conducted in 772 polling stations spanning 193 assembly constituencies within 191 parliamentary constituencies.

EVMs, first used in India in 1982 and deployed widely from 1998, have drawn criticism for being vulnerable to tampering. This issue became a significant point of contention before and during the 2024 elections, with opposition parties demanding 100% counting of voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips. Despite these concerns, the Supreme Court agreed with the ECI that VVPATs were meant for voters to see that their vote has been cast and that counting all VVPAT slips would effectively reintroduce paper ballots by indirect means.

Public opinion, as measured by the CSDS-Lokniti pre-poll survey, indicates that a significant portion of the population shares the Opposition’s concerns. According to the survey, 45% of respondents believed EVMs could be manipulated by the ruling party. Furthermore, 16.7% of respondents expressed complete distrust in EVMs. This is a marked increase in distrust compared to the post-poll survey conducted in 2019, where only 5.8% of respondents had such concerns. The post-poll survey also revealed that 30% of respondents felt that trust in EVMs had decreased over the past five years, with this sentiment being particularly strong among minorities such as Sikhs, Muslims and Christians, as well as in the urban population.

Also read: The Inaugural Session of 18th Lok Sabha Gave Cornered Opposition a New Lease of Life

The issue of distrust in EVMs is intertwined with concerns about the ECI’s independence. The unexpected resignation of one election commissioner (EC) ahead of the 2024 election and the quick filling of two vacancies sparked criticism and suspicion. Furthermore, the process for selecting ECs has drawn particular scrutiny. In December 2023, parliament passed a law under which the selection panel includes the prime minister, any Union minister, and the leader of the Opposition (LoP). The executive’s two-to-one majority goes against the spirit of  a truly independent ECI, as envisioned by the constitution bench verdict of March 2023 – which had suggested a selection committee comprising the prime minister, LoP and chief justice of India. The bench emphasised the impartiality of the ECI in ensuring free and fair elections but the composition of the enacted selection committee makes impartial decision-making in the appointment of key electoral officials impossible.

This suspicion regarding the ECI’s independence is reinforced by the CSDS-Lokniti pre-poll survey data, which indicates a notable level of distrust in the ECI. In the survey, 22.2% either expressed little or no trust in the commission. This lack of faith was particularly notable among minority communities such as Sikhs and Muslims and marginalised social groups like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes. Comparatively, this level of distrust has almost doubled since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where only 11.6% of respondents indicated little or no trust in the ECI.

Also read: Implementing a Supreme Court Judgment, Election Commission of India-Style

The CSDS-Lokniti post-poll survey also reveals that despite numerous complaints about missing names in the voters’ list and delays caused by long queues or EVM malfunctions, a relatively small proportion of respondents, 6.5%, reported being unable to vote. Among those unable to vote, 2.7% cited missing names in the voters’ list as the reason. Only 1% cited long queues as the reason for not being able to vote. Interestingly, the issue of missing names in the voters’ list appeared more pronounced among Muslims compared to other communities. Additionally, urban areas experienced a higher incidence of missing names than rural areas. These findings, though not significant, underscore ongoing challenges in voter registration and accessibility to polling stations, particularly in urban settings and among minority groups.

The CSDS-Lokniti surveys highlight a broad spectrum of opinions regarding EVMs, the ECI and electoral accessibility in India. The decrease in trust in EVMs and the Election Commission underscore significant concerns about the independence, fairness and transparency of India’s electoral process, particularly among minority and marginalised communities. These findings reflect broader societal anxieties regarding institutional integrity and emphasise the need for electoral reforms to enhance public trust in the electoral process. Efforts to improve voter registration processes and reduce waiting times at polling stations are crucial steps toward enhancing greater accessibility in elections. Addressing these issues through transparent mechanisms and reforms is essential for strengthening India’s democratic framework and preserving its electoral credibility.

Ritu Rao is a research scholar at TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi. Sanjay Kumar is a Professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi.