Electoral reforms panel request demo on electronic voting machines

Parliamentary committee seeks details on estimated cost, time-frame to implement the system and chances of errors

ISLAMABAD: A sub-committee of the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms on Thursday asked Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to provide a practical demonstration of electronic voting machines.

During a meeting of the sub-committee, which is headed by Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML)'s Zahid Hamid, the parliamentarians directed the poll body to also provide them with details of the estimated cost to implement electronic voting method, a time-frame to implement the system and chances of errors.

The ECP also gave a briefing to the sub-committee on the merits and demerits of implementing an electronic voting system and countries that have experimented with it. ECP officials pointed out a few countries that had implemented electronic voting method and later moved back to traditional ballot voting.

The sub-committee asked the poll body officials to provide more information on the system in the next meeting scheduled for November 17.

The Political Parties Order 2002 was also briefly discussed during the meeting as the committee seeks to make amendments to the law.