Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has voiced concerns over the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), highlighting their potential vulnerability to hacking. His comments come amid increasing debates on EVM security worldwide.
"We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high," Musk posted on X.
The debte on EVM security has intensified following the controversial primary elections in Puerto Rico. The elections faced numerous irregularities attributed to EVMs. Fortunately, a paper trail allowed election officials to detect and correct the discrepancies in the vote tallies.
Musk's comments were in response to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate for the 2024 US Elections and nephew of former US President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy Jr. highlighted the issue on social media, stating, "Puerto Rico's primary elections just experienced hundreds of voting irregularities related to electronic voting machines, according to the Associated Press. Luckily, there was a paper trail so the problem was identified and vote tallies corrected. What happens in jurisdictions where there is no paper trail?"
Kennedy Jr. has advocated for a return to paper ballots to safeguard against electronic interference and ensure the integrity of every vote.
While concerns over EVMs are growing in the United States, India presents a different scenario. The country employs third-generation M3 EVMs, which are designed to be tamper-proof. These machines switch to 'Safety Mode' and become inoperable if any tampering is detected.
