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The most striking feature of any democracy is the relevance of elections where the leaders are chosen by the people, of the people and from the people.
Since elections play a major role in deciding the future of the nation, organization or any place where it is being held, it is extremely important to have a mechanism to conduct hassle free, just and systematic elections. It is with this idea that the electronic voting machines emerged.
This emerged as a replacement to the paper ballots system which made the process easier and simpler, especially for countries with a large population like India. This also eliminates the possibility of invalid votes and the counting process becomes faster. This is also a cost-effective method with lesser need to spend money on paper, printing and distribution.
It also makes the process of elections more inclusive as people with disabilities can also vote. However, there are various concerns about the security of using these machines and manipulation that can take place.
In different countries around the world, we see different sentiments regarding the electronic voting system. Countries in Europe and North America are increasingly banning the use of electronic voting machines.
An absolute different trend is seen in South America as well as Asia where more nations are adopting and showing an inclination towards the adoption of electronic voting machines.
There are multiple opportunities that drive this market. Some of them are listed below :
When the market is divided by region, we can identify the following markets North America, Europe, Asia- Pacific region, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. The Asia Pacific region captures around 40% of the total market share and hence, is the largest market for voting systems.
The main nations driving demand for electronic voting machines are India, Bhutan and Philippines. Looking at national markets, India has the largest market for electronic voting machines. It is expected the Asia Pacific region will sustain its position as the largest market in the period 2021-2026 as well.
In the Latin America region, Brazil and Peru are responsible for a prominent share of market size. Pilot programmers have been conducted by various countries in South America, Africa and Asia. Some of these countries are Ecuador, Mexico, Nigeria, Nepal, Peru and the United Arab Emirates. Namibia was the first country to implement electronic voting machines in Africa.
The demand for electronic voting systems is increasing among various end user industries such as industrial organisations, government bodies and educational institutions like colleges and universities.
There are a few factors which may act as barriers to boost demand for electronic voting systems. Some of them are listed below :
The acquisition of a new voting system to replace the county’s 15-year-old voting machines has been approved by the Collin County Commissioners Court.
Election Systems and Software’s ExpressVote, a ballot-marking system that prints out a paper ballot for each voter to review before a ballot is scanned and counted during an election, received unanimous approval from the court for a $10 million contract.
The League of Women Voters gave the system a favourable assessment after seeing it in action at the Collin County Elections Department, along with local people, precinct chairs, and LWV members.
Some of the major players in the electronic voting system market are :
Use of technology has been a major factor contributing to growth in various sectors and it is important to come up with a more secure system which also maintains the secrecy of ballots.
Online voting and blockchain based voting are two alternatives that could be adopted for electronic voting systems, however, there is no evidence to ensure the secrecy of ballots even in these systems. There is a need for development of a better hardware and software to be able deal with the issues stated above.
Currently, technology is used in registering voters and deciding polling stations but there is no system in place to cast and count votes using technology in many countries around the world. Estonia has implemented an online voting system in the past decade but most other countries are sceptical about using online voting methods.
In order to build trust within countries about electronic voting pilot projects can be adopted. Involvement of all the stakeholders and education regarding the pros of this system have become crucial.
Apart from security and trust, cost becomes an issue as well which is stated for not using electronic voting machines. Firstly, an upfront investment is required for acquiring these machines and then maintenance costs are also to be incurred periodically.
However, there is no sufficient information to prove that they are costlier than the paper ballot system. India and Namibia are some of the few countries which have been able to develop machines at a low cost at around $300 per unit which have basic features as compared to more sophisticated machines available for $3000- $6000 for conducting elections.
Printers have been introduced with some machines to produce a VVPAT. India is playing a monumental role in helping neighboring countries to implement this system as well. Bhutan was able to successfully conduct its elections with machines gifted by India.
