The Election Commission of Pakistan has recently signed an agreement to get electronic voting machines and biometric verification machines for the trial run in by-elections. The results will determine if the technology can be used in the next general elections.

ECP Secretary Babar Yaqub Fateh Muhammad said that these machines will be used in multiple pilot projects in upcoming by-elections to see their results.

Results of Pilot Project will Determine its Usage in General Elections:

All stakeholders, including voters, lawmakers, media, civil society organizations and observers, would be asked to witness the testing of these new technologies.

The secretary told the media that introduction of electronic voting machines and a biometric system was part of bringing reforms in the electoral system and the decision had been taken after feedback of previous elections.

Machines or the Software could be Manipulated?

On the other hand, some staff of Election Commission is of view that the software used by Electronic Voting Machines could be manipulated to affect results.

EVMs installed at polling stations would be vulnerable to hacking via Bluetooth signals and other forms of wireless connectivity. The machines could even be tampered with while in storage and it is not possible to make electoral exercise 100 per cent fair and transparent with these machines.

Via Dawn