Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Sabeer Bhatia Proposes Replacing EVMs With AI Voting App
Sabeer Bhatia suggested using a phone app instead of electronic voting machines.
He said voters could declare their identity and citizenship through the app.
Artificial intelligence could check the information for possible problems.
People would review any information that the system flags.
His goal is for each citizen to have one verified identity and one vote.
The Election Commission already lets people check voter details online.
Voters can also use SMS, a helpline, or in-person verification.
Election officials visit homes to check some voter records.
The ECI has also created ECINET to bring many election services together.
Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia proposed replacing electronic voting machines with a secure voting app.
He suggested AI-assisted identity verification to flag voter discrepancies for human review.
Bhatia’s proposed system would aim to ensure one verified identity and one vote per citizen.
The Election Commission of India already provides online, SMS, telephone, and field-based voter verification methods.
The ECI’s ECINET platform consolidates more than 40 election-related mobile and web applications.
- Who
- Sabeer Bhatia made the proposal, while the Election Commission of India provides existing voter-verification services.
- What
- Bhatia proposed replacing EVMs with a secure voting app using AI-assisted identity verification.
- When
- Bhatia published the proposal on September 27, 2026.
- Where
- The proposal was made in a post on social media; the existing verification services are provided in India.
- Why
- Bhatia said the system could identify discrepancies and support a one-citizen, one-verified-identity, one-vote model.
App-Based Voting Proposal
Existing Election Verification System
Voting technology
App-Based Voting Proposal
Bhatia argues that EVMs should be replaced by a secure voting app using AI-assisted identity verification.
Existing Election Verification System
The article describes the ECI as continuing to use its existing election systems while offering digital and physical voter-verification methods.
Identity checking
App-Based Voting Proposal
The proposed app would flag identity discrepancies for review and seek to enforce one verified identity per citizen.
Existing Election Verification System
The ECI checks voter details through the Voters Service Portal, Voter Helpline App, SMS, telephone support, doorstep document checks, and community verification.
Digital infrastructure
App-Based Voting Proposal
Bhatia presents a single app as a way to modernize voting technology.
Existing Election Verification System
The ECI has developed ECINET, a unified platform that consolidates more than 40 election-related applications and websites.
- Proposer
- Sabeer Bhatia, identified in the article as a Hotmail co-founder
- Proposal
- Replace EVMs with a secure voting app
- Suggested technology
- AI-assisted identity verification
- Online verification
- The Voters Service Portal allows searches using an EPIC number or personal details
- Offline verification
- Voters can use SMS verification, the National Voter Helpline, and field verification
- SMS method
- Send ECI to 1950
- Unified platform
- ECINET integrates more than 40 ECI mobile and web applications