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Politics
Paper Ballots Persist in MLC Elections as EVMs Can't Record Ranked Votes
✍️ The Hindu
🗓 31 Oct 2026, 10:31 AM
👁 1
MLC polls use paper ballots because the electronic voting machines are designed for first‑past‑the‑post contests and cannot capture the ranked‑choice system required by the single transferable vote.
MLC elections in India employ a proportional representation system known as the single transferable vote (STV). Under STV, voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting a single nominee.
The ranking mechanism allows votes to be transferred from the least popular candidates to those with higher support, ensuring a more representative outcome. This process requires the voting machine to capture and process a full ranking list for each ballot.
Current electronic voting machines (EVMs) in India are built for first‑past‑the‑post contests, where a voter simply marks one candidate. The software and hardware of these machines lack the capability to record, store, and count ranked preferences.
Until EVMs are upgraded or new machines are introduced that can handle STV, election authorities continue to rely on paper ballots for MLC polls, ensuring that the ranking system is accurately reflected in the final count.
The ranking mechanism allows votes to be transferred from the least popular candidates to those with higher support, ensuring a more representative outcome. This process requires the voting machine to capture and process a full ranking list for each ballot.
Current electronic voting machines (EVMs) in India are built for first‑past‑the‑post contests, where a voter simply marks one candidate. The software and hardware of these machines lack the capability to record, store, and count ranked preferences.
Until EVMs are upgraded or new machines are introduced that can handle STV, election authorities continue to rely on paper ballots for MLC polls, ensuring that the ranking system is accurately reflected in the final count.