Tulsi Gabbard demands replacing EVMs with paper ballots in the US

Gabbard is Director of National Intelligence of the US

Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence of the US

Washington DC (USA) – ‘Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be easily hacked to tamper with election results. Therefore, to ensure transparency and build trust among voters, the use of paper ballots should be implemented across the United States’, Tulsi Gabbard, Director of the US National Intelligence, said in the presence of President Donald Trump. Gabbard’s statement has sparked a debate in the US—many have supported it, while others have opposed it. Previously, US entrepreneur Elon Musk had also criticised EVMs and demanded their removal.

After Tulsi Gabbard called EVMs hackable, Election Commission of India (ECI)
clarifies: Indian EVMs are standalone, tamper-proof, with no internet or Wi-Fi. They work like simple calculators, and VVPAT slips ensure transparency.#EVM pic.twitter.com/EWB9onrR7Y

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) April 12, 2025

A day before Gabbard’s statement, President Trump had issued an executive order to the Department of Justice, instructing them to investigate the role of former Cybersecurity Chief Chris Krebs in the 2020 elections.

Congress raises a question

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala posted on X, stating, ‘Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of American National Intelligence, has raised serious concerns over the authenticity and believability of the Electronic Voting Machines. It has been 24 hours, and there is no response to this from either the Election Commission or the Chief Election Commissioner of India. PM Modi, the BJP and the NDA have maintained silence. The NDA government, CEC, and EC should reach out to the U.S. and catch hold of the investigation regarding the matter by the Americans. Why should the Supreme Court now take suo moto notice for free and fair elections? (sic)’.

Ms. @TulsiGabbard is the United States Director of National Intelligence ! She has publicly raised the “issues of hacking” of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM’s) and its vulnerabilities.

Infact, she further said that EVM’s are, “…vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the… https://t.co/7OOeFfo5Ey

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 11, 2025

Voting machines in India and the US are different : Election Commission

Following Tulsi Gabbard’s concerns about American EVMs, the Indian Election Commission clarified that over 5 crore VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) slips have been matched with EVM votes in past elections, and the results have been found to be accurate. Indian EVMs are different from those used in other countries.

1. Indian EVMs do not have an operating system. US machines run on platforms like Windows or Linux.

2. Indian EVMs are completely offline. They do not use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. US machines are connected to the internet.

3. Once Indian EVMs are programmed, they cannot be altered. US machines can be modified.

4. Indian EVMs generate a printed slip (VVPAT) for confirmation after a vote is cast. US machines do not have this feature.