Following reports of hundreds of anomalies in Puerto Rico’s recent primary elections, billionaire Elon Musk has joined the growing chorus of voices calling for the elimination of electronic voting machines (EVMs). However, Indian politician Rahul Gandhi has also backed Musk’s expression of distrust.
The controversy arose after the island’s elections commission announced it was reviewing its contract with a US electronic voting company. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. highlighted the issue on X, formerly Twitter, emphasizing the need for paper ballots to prevent electronic interference in elections.
Musk, responding to Kennedy’s post, expressed concern about the vulnerability of EVMs to hacking, both by humans and artificial intelligence. He argued that while the risk might be small, it’s still too significant to ignore.
Musk’s stance echoes concerns raised by other users on X, including Jeff Dornik, CEO of Pickax, who stressed the importance of strict chain of custody laws for paper ballots to ensure election integrity.
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The debate surrounding EVMs and election security has intensified in recent years, with many advocating for a return to paper ballots to ensure transparency and voter confidence. While some users on X questioned the feasibility of counting all votes by midnight with paper ballots, Dornik pointed out that it was a standard practice before the introduction of EVMs.
Musk’s vocal support for eliminating EVMs adds weight to the growing movement advocating for more secure and transparent election systems.
“EVMs in India are a “black box,” and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.
“Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability,” he added.
He also posted a news report that said the kin of the winning candidate in Lok Sabha was using the phone which was connected to EVMs.
