- Components: An EVM consists of two main units:
- Control Unit: Operated by the election officer; it manages the voting process.
- Ballot Unit: Where voters press buttons corresponding to their chosen candidate or party.
- Security: EVMs are designed with multiple layers of security to prevent tampering or manipulation, such as tamper-proof seals and encryption. Voters’ choices are stored in internal memory, and the machine is programmed to be operational only in the specific election setup.
- Voting Process:
- The voter presses the button corresponding to their choice.
- The Control Unit records the vote on the Ballot Unit.
- After the election ends, the Control Unit is used to tally and display the results.
- Advantages:
- Reduces human error in counting votes.
- Speeds up the voting and counting process.
- Minimizes electoral fraud or tampering.
- Increases voter participation due to simplicity.
- Disadvantages:
- Risk of hacking (though security measures are in place).
- Dependence on electricity and technology, which could fail in some cases.
EVMs are widely used in several countries, including India, for conducting elections at various levels, from local to national election.
Components Used ~
● ESP8266:
○ A Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller that connects to the network and serves the
web interface.
● Tactile Push Buttons:
○ Five tactile push buttons for selecting a candidate (one button per candidate).
○ A trigger button to start the voting process.
● Buzzer:
○ Provides feedback to the user whenever a vote is successfully cast.
● Web Interface:
○ A simple HTML page served by the ESP8266, showing real-time vote counts,
total votes, and the current time.
● NTP (Network Time Protocol):
○ Synchronizes the current time with an external NTP server to display the
correct time on the webpage.
Working of the System ~
● Wi-Fi Connection:
○ The ESP8266 connects to a Wi-Fi network using the provided credentials. Once connected, it acts as a web server, making the voting system accessible through a browser.
● Voting Process:
○ The system allows users to vote for one of five candidates by pressing the corresponding tactile push button.
○ The trigger button enables voting mode, allowing users to cast votes. After a vote, voting is disabled until the trigger button is pressed again.
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