---
title: "How do EVMs and VVPAT work in Indian elections?"  
description: "How do EVMs and VVPAT work in Indian elections?"  
author: "Aashish Khadka"  
published: 2026-11-11  
updated: 2026-11-11  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/119928/how-do-evms-and-vvpat-work-in-indian-elections  
category: "Indian Politics"  
tags: ["evm", "VVPAT", "electronic voting machine India", "voting", "Election Commission"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# How do EVMs and VVPAT work in Indian elections?



## Answers

### Answer by Stijn Michiels

An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) records votes electronically, and the VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) prints a paper slip so voters can check their choice.

An EVM has two main parts joined by a cable:

- **The balloting unit**, kept inside the voting compartment. It shows the candidates’ names, symbols and a button next to each.
- **The control unit**, kept with the polling officer. It records and stores the votes.

When you press the button next to your candidate, the VVPAT machine shows a slip with the candidate’s name and symbol through a small window for about seven seconds, and then the slip drops into a sealed box.

EVMs are standalone machines. They are not connected to the internet or any network, and they are made by public sector companies, Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited. After voting, VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations in each assembly constituency are counted and matched with the EVM results. The Supreme Court has rejected demands for 100 percent matching of slips, but the debate on EVM trust continues among parties and voters.


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/119928/how-do-evms-and-vvpat-work-in-indian-elections

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