Billionaire Elon Musk has raised concerns over electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the US as the country heads towards the presidential polls. This comes after the Puerto Rico elections commission revealed that it is reevaluating its contract with a US electronic voting company following anomalies found in the primaries on the island.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy shared an article about voting irregularities related to EVMs on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Musk responded to Kennedy’s post, emphasizing the importance of using paper ballots to ensure the integrity of elections.
Kennedy stated that the US citizens need to have confidence that their votes are counted accurately and that elections cannot be hacked. He called for a return to paper ballots to prevent electronic interference. Musk supported this view, stating that EVMs should be eliminated due to the risk of being hacked by humans or artificial intelligence.
During Puerto Rico’s primaries, Dominion Voting Systems-supplied EVMs experienced software glitches that miscalculated vote totals. While the accurate winners were identified, discrepancies were found in the machine-reported vote totals compared to paper ballots. The interim president of the commission highlighted the importance of ensuring accurate and reliable results for the upcoming elections in November.
With over 6,000 Dominion voting devices used in the primaries, software problems were attributed to the electronic files used to transmit the machines’ results. The commission is working to address these issues to prevent any discrepancies in future elections.
It is essential to prioritize the security and accuracy of election processes to uphold the democratic principles of the country. By addressing concerns raised by experts and public figures like Musk and Kennedy, steps can be taken to safeguard the electoral system and ensure fair and transparent elections.
