Trump blames voting machines for party's rout. But do US voters use EVMs?

Days after the Republicans were routed in the US midterm elections, American President Donald Trump is now blaming "voter machines" for the catastrophic electoral losses suffered by the party post November 3. But Trump's accusations, given without any credible evidence, has one glaring issue — most of the American electorate uses paper ballots to exercise their right to vote.In a post on his boutique social media platform, TruthSocial, on November 9 (US time), the US President alleged that, "Does anybody really believe that this 'Election' was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong??? Some early voting 'dumps' were so large that it was impossible to win, no matter how many people went to vote."He goes on to add, "It's all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter! President DJT". He did not offer any evidence to back up his accusations. The news outlet, USA Today, later quoted Trump as telling reporters on Monday, "I think the numbers were terrible in terms of those early votes." Democrats have outperformed Republicans significantly in recent elections with votes cast early or by mail, while Republicans tend to do better in Election Day voting."This is hardly the first time Trump has blamed electoral malpractice or voter fraud for an election defeat suffered by him or his party. Most notably, after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, Trump repeatedly made baseless claims of widespread voter fraud and sought to overturn the results. These claims culminated in his MAGA supporters storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. His latest allegations also mark a shift from his immediate post-election stance. In the immediate aftermath of the November 3 midterms, Trump had told The New York Times that he was "absolutely willing" to accept the results and was prepared to work with Democrats.Yet his focus on voting machines overlooks the fact that paper ballots remain central to the US electoral process. Most Americans either mark paper ballots by hand or use electronic ballot-marking devices that produce paper records. Direct-recording electronic machines, which record votes electronically, are used by a much smaller share of voters.PAPER BALLOTS ARE A CENTRAL PART OF HOW THE AMERICAN PEOPLE VOTE Unlike India, where elections are conducted by a centralised body, that is the Election Commission India (ECI), the US lacks a uniform nationwide electronic voting system. Elections in America are administered by state and local authorities, meaning voting and counting methods and equipment vary across jurisdictions. Americans can vote in person on election day or cast ballots during early voting periods, usually through mail-in ballots.But while methods can vary, the vast majority of the American electoral uses paper ballots to exercise their right to vote.According to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), around 70% of voters in the 2024 presidential election lived in jurisdictions where hand-marked paper ballots were used, generally counted by electronic optical scanners.Another 25% lived in jurisdictions using ballot-marking devices (BMDs), where voters select candidates on electronic screens but receive printed paper ballots. The remaining 5% were in jurisdictions using direct-recording electronic (DRE) machines, which record votes electronically, similar to India's Electronic Voter Machines (EVMs).The US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) further reported that more than 98% of election jurisdictions in 2024 used equipment that either required voters to mark paper ballots or produced an auditable paper record. Electronic scanners are commonly used to count these paper ballots, with election officials conducting audits and recounts where required.The November 3, 2026, midterm elections followed the same decentralised system, with states and local authorities overseeing voting and counting. While a comprehensive nationwide breakdown of the voting equipment used in the 2026 elections is not yet available, the findings from 2024 demonstrate that paper ballots remain the most common way of voting.As such, US President Donald Trump's accusation that "machines", which are "more important than voters", was responsible for the Republican rout, holds little water when taking into account the fact that Americans vote via paper ballots.ACCUSATIONS COME AFTER MIDTERM REPUBLICAN ROUTDonald Trump's latest attempt to cast doubt on the integrity of American elections comes days after Republicans suffered a major setback in the November 3 midterm elections, in what has been widely described as a Democratic wave.In the 100-member US Senate, Democrats have secured at least 54 seats, including two independents who caucus with them, giving the party control of the chamber. They flipped seven Republican-held seats, with major upsets including James Talarico's victory in Texas, Adam Hamilton's win in Kansas and Troy Jackson's defeat of longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine. Democrats also flipped seats in Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina and South Carolina.Democrats also made significant gains in the House of Representatives, winning 254 of its 435 seats, according to results called by November 9. The party flipped five Republican-held governorships, winning in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa and Nevada. The victories included Gina Hinojosa's defeat of incumbent Greg Abbott in Texas and Keisha Lance Bottoms becoming the first Black woman elected governor in the US, in Georgia.- Ends(Written by Shounak Sanyal)