Supreme Court asks government to weigh totalizers for EVM counting
The Supreme Court wants the government to weigh in on whether totalizers should be used when counting votes from electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Totalizers combine votes from several booths, about 14 at a time, which aggregates votes from multiple polling booths to improve voter privacy.
Court orders checking Law Commission recommendation
Petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay says totalizers are key for keeping voters safe and their choices confidential, especially to prevent any post-election trouble.
The Election Commission had supported using them from 2007 until a few days ago, but most political parties aren't on board yet.
The court also directed checking the recommendation made by the Law Commission of India, including the proposed provision for totalisation, and asked if election rules need updating since they currently require booth-wise counting.