The constant talk on EVM security has intensified due to recent controversies in Puerto Rico (Image: X @Elon Musk)

Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has apprised people against using electronic voting machines (EVMs), drawing attention to the concerns about their potential vulnerabilities to hacking. His advice comes amidst growing debates over the security of EVMs worldwide, especially following allegations of abnormality in Puerto Rico’s recent primary elections.

Billionaire Elon Musk posted on X in response to, Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of former US President John F Kennedy and an independent hopeful for the 2024 US Elections, who said, “Puerto Rico’s primary elections just experienced hundreds of voting irregularities related to electronic voting machines, according to the Associated Press. Luckily, there was a paper trail so the problem was identified and vote tallies corrected, he added.

We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high. https://t.co/PHzJsoXpLh

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2024

The constant talk on EVM security has intensified due to recent controversies in Puerto Rico. The primary elections were reported by numerous irregularities linked to EVMs and a paper trail helped the election officials to identify and correct vote counts. Kennedy Jr recommended a return to paper ballots to forbid electronic interference in elections, to confirm every vote is counted and elections remain safe and truthful.

Since people are talking about the EVM issues in the USA, the scenario in India presents a contrasting picture. India uses the third-generation EVMs, known as M3 EVMs, which are programmed to be tamper-proof. These machines enter a ‘Safety Mode’ and become inoperable if there is a tampering attempt is detected.

Watch| Video: Data Mismatch Found In EVM Votes Across 140 Parliamentary Constituencies

A devoted team of professors from three prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has been instrumental in the latest upgrades of Indian EVMs. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is supported by the veteran Technical Expert Committee (TEC) on EVMs, assuring that the devices are secure to use. But still, there were controversies over Electronic Voting Machines Audit Trials (VVPATs) that have resurfaced alleging that the machines can be manipulated which demands the cross-verification of EVMs.

In India, A recent report found discrepancies between the EVM votes polled and the EVM votes counted in over 140 constituencies in the recent Lok Sabha Election 2024. So the case is the same, that data should be validated and foresee an accurate solution to curb the issues found in EVMs worldwide.

Also, read| “Let EVM Rest Till Next Election,” Says Election Commissioner Disparaging Suspectors