House Speaker Opts for E-voting over Conventional Election

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - House of Representatives (DPR) speaker Bambang Soesatyo suggested the upcoming Indonesia elections adopt the e-voting or electronic votes in order to reduce the cost of holding a nationwide election.

“It’s not just e-counting, but e-voting can be introduced in the upcoming simultaneous regional elections,” said Bambang in a written statement today.

The Golkar Party politician said this method would no longer utilize thousands of items of election logistics such as vote ballot boxes, ballot papers, ink bottles (used to mark voters’ participation), and polling booths.

He also augured this non-traditional method would no longer require the participation of millions of election witnesses and supervisors. 

Read: House Speaker Agrees to Revise Simultaneous Indonesia Election Law

“This will suppress possible casualties in the future. A cheap, efficient, and simple Indonesia election system needs to be implemented” said Bambang, referring to the recent deaths of members of polling station work committees (KPPS) of extreme fatigue.

Bambang also called on the government to look into the matter together with House of Representatives’ general elections commission members to evaluate the 2019 general elections and revise Law No.7/2017 on general elections.

There are reportedly 587 KPPS members who died up to Thursday, April 25. All of the deaths are related to heavy workload and fatigue. 

FIKRI ARIGI