Technology, Choice, and Fragmentation: The Political Effects Electronic Voting in India

Electronic voting technology is often proposed as translating voter intent to vote totals better than alternative systems such as paper ballots. We suggest that EVMs can also alter vote choice, and in particular the way in which voters register anti-system sentiment. This paper examines the effects of the introduction of electronic voting machines in India, the world’s largest democracy, using a difference in difference methodology that takes advantage of the technology’s gradual introduction. EVMs are associated with dramatic declines in the incidence of invalid votes, and corresponding increases in vote for minor candidates. There is ambiguous evidence for EVMs decreasing turnout, no evidence for increases in voter error or fraud, and no evidence that machines with an auditable paper trail perform differently from other EVMs. The results highlight the interaction between voter technology and voter protest. ∗Department of Political Science, University of Rochester, Harkness Hall, Rochester, NY 14627. Email: [email protected]. †Department of Political Science, University of Rochester, Harkness Hall, Rochester, NY 14627. Email: [email protected].