U.S.-India Electoral Results Dispute

• The U.S. election system, where Donald Trump won the popular vote and electoral college vote, is more efficient than the Indian model.

• The 2020 election was marked by controversies and a slow counting process, resulting in closer results than expected.

• In the U.S., data is provided by news agencies and other sources, estimating the chances of a candidate winning based on available trends.

• The U.S. Federal Election Commission does not provide live electoral data, which is either collated by agencies or provided by each state.

• In contrast, the Election Commission of India (ECI) provides live counting data for each constituency, providing a clear picture on electoral trends.

• The ECI’s structured presentation of results helps media outlets and data enthusiasts parse information and present it separately with more granular information.

• The ECI presents ‘deep-dive data’, such as polling booth information on voter choice and Assembly segmentwise data for parliamentary constituencies.

• The Indian model of providing electoral results via a public authority works better for data journalists than the American one.

• Despite criticisms, the ECI’s transparency, timely, and efficient release of structured voting data is appreciated by public minded people in India.