Why Sri Lanka needs electronic voting

As Sri Lanka prepares for the upcoming elections, the limitations of the current paper-based voting system have become starkly evident. The electoral landscape is evolving, with the Presidential election attracting the largest number of candidates, and for the first time, the potential for counting second-preference votes—a process that could overwhelm the existing system, delay the announcing of a winner and reduce the confidence in the result. The time has come for Sri Lanka to embrace electronic voting (e-voting) to ensure a more efficient, credible, and cost-effective electoral process. 

The most pressing issue with the current system is its inefficiency. In a paper-based system, voters will be faced with unwieldy ballot papers, making the voting process cumbersome and prone to mistakes. Sri Lanka has also never been able to handle multiple elections simultaneously. As local government and provincial elections get postponed, and parliamentary elections are due in one year, there would need to be multiple elections rather than having these contests on a single day. This inability is due to the lack of tools necessary for such a multitude of choices.

Introducing e-voting can drastically streamline the voting and counting process. Electronic systems, successfully implemented in countries such as India and Brazil, allow votes to be cast swiftly and accurately. Once voting ends, the tallying of votes happens almost instantaneously, eliminating the need for prolonged and error-prone manual counts. The incorporation of second-preference votes would be handled seamlessly by an algorithm rather than by overworked election officials, ensuring both speed and precision.

Electronic voting is the standard means of conducting elections using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in India. The system was developed for the Election Commission of India by the state-owned Electronics Corporation of India and Bharat Electronics. Starting in the late 1990s, they were introduced in Indian elections in a phased manner. In India the introduction of EVMs has brought down the costs significantly, reduced the time of counting to enable faster announcement of results and eliminated fraudulent practices due to safety features such as security locking, limits to the rate of voting per minute and verification of thumb impressions.

Beyond efficiency, the financial burden of paper-based elections cannot be ignored. Printing millions of ballots, ensuring their secure transportation, and hiring legions of workers to count and monitor the process requires significant resources. E-voting systems, though initially costly to set up, would greatly reduce these recurring expenses over time. Once in place, maintenance costs for EVMs would be much lower compared to the repetitive expenditure needed for every paper-based election cycle.

Equally important is the enhancement of electoral credibility. Manual vote counting introduces the possibility of human error and even manipulation, both of which can undermine public confidence in the election results. In contrast, electronic voting reduces the opportunities for such tampering, as the system is automated and transparent. With proper cybersecurity measures in place, an e-voting system can offer Sri Lanka a more robust defence against the manipulation of electoral outcomes, ensuring that every vote is accurately counted and reflected in the results.

While there may be initial challenges, the solution is not to reject modernisation altogether, but to implement it carefully and securely. Many nations have demonstrated that it is possible to create an electronic voting system that is both reliable and secure. With proper oversight, regular audits, and cybersecurity protocols, Sri Lanka could introduce e-voting in a way that enhances, rather than undermines, trust in the electoral process.