Thread by @akwaghmare

A short thread on #USElections especially as many Indians have started praising the Indian election system after seeing delays in counting of votes in the US. #BidenHarris #TrumpvsBiden

So many Indian commentators are mocking over how the US electoral system is fumbling, and that despite being an advanced economy, how its voting/counting system is weak in front of the Indian counterpart. Some are saying US should learn from India. This is laughable. Why? (1/13)

The delay is due to mail-in ballots. US allows voters to vote “early” or by mail. In India, you cannot vote early, and it is very difficult to do postal ballot, as the system neither promotes it nor facilitates it. Try finding out how to register for postal ballot. (2/13)

Then, states have their own counting systems, unfettered to the “Centre” in the US, as they do not have a Centre. The country is constituted more “federally” than ours, and states conduct voting and counting. In our case, states do not have a say even in state elections. (3/13)

That we have a central Election Commission and they do not, is being critiqued by many. Again, their states have the power to conduct polls. Surprising to see the vehement critics of One Nation One Election endorse One Election Commission so hard. (4/13)

The counting happens even at night to have the results as soon as possible. We also do so, and a neck and neck tie is also possible in India if the leading parties close in on the magic figure. Can't understand why this is likened to fumbling. (5/13)

Though we have an EC, a centralised one-for-all institution, its better that we do not discuss about the integrity of institutions when it comes to comparing US and India. And even if they have problems, the good and bad gets distributed among 50 states. (6/13)

The US Senate is more representative than our Rajya Sabha. They have two members for each, and we have it based on population. Imagine having their system in India: UP and Sikkim both would have two seats in RS. Won't Sikkim feel represented better with their system? (7/13)

Giving people more freedom to vote: early, on the day, by post, is more democratic than making people in other states fly to the home town for voting. States having more rights on that is more desirable than Centre wrenching everything. (8/13)

Their system of Electoral College can certainly be critiqued. That a Presidential candidate gets *all* the votes from the College if a state gives him a majority is probably unjust on the other who has probably won substantial votes. (9/13)

But they have people elected to the Congress in the same first-past-the-post way as we elect leaders to Lok Sabha, on every seat. They just give an extra vote for the Presidential election as they have that kind of system, which may have flaws, as our system too has. (10/13)

It is good that some US states are willing to change the Electoral College system, to make it more broad based and just towards the candidate who loses all despite having considerable vote. But critique of Prez system must take note of a well represented Congress & Senate (11/13)

Paper ballots only take more time, maybe a day or two more, but that does not make EVMs more “accurate” than paper ballot. And despite having the latter, they are counting transparently, continuously, with real-time updates. Why is that a problem? (12/13)

No one is hearing that machines have malfunctioned at some places, or anything of this sort. Why? Because maybe they have machines where they ought to be, and not where they are not needed. (13/13)