125,000 polling stations at risk of disruption due to ineligible voters

The Indonesian General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has mapped polling stations (TPS) prone to disruption or obstacles during the 2024 General Election.

The most prevalent vulnerability is the presence of ineligible voters in the Permanent Voter List (DPT). This vulnerability indicator was found in 125,224 polling stations.

The following are the characteristics of ineligible voters according to Bawaslu:

* Unrecognizable voters;
* Deceased voters;
* Voters who are members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) or the Indonesian National Police (Polri);
* Non-local residents;
* Duplicate voters;
* Voters with amnesia; and
* Underage voters.

Bawaslu also found other vulnerability indicators related to the exercise of voting rights, security, campaigning, neutrality, logistics, polling station location, and internet and electricity networks.

Here is a breakdown of the seven most prevalent vulnerability indicators according to Bawaslu:

* Ineligible voters in the DPT: found in 125,224 polling stations
* Additional voters (DPTb): 119,796 polling stations
* KPPS officers from outside the polling station domicile: 38,595 polling stations
* Internet network issues at the polling station location: 36,236 polling stations
* Polling station location near election participant campaign posts/houses: 21,947 polling stations
* Potential for a special voter list (DPK): 18,656 polling stations
* Polling station location prone to natural disasters: 10,794 polling stations

Bawaslu member Totok Hariyono stated that this mapping of vulnerable polling stations serves as a basis for Bawaslu, the General Elections Commission (KPU), election participants, the government, law enforcement agencies, observers, the media, and the entire community to mitigate risks and ensure smooth and democratic voting.

"Bawaslu is implementing preventive strategies, including conducting supervisory patrols in vulnerable polling station areas, coordinating and consolidating with relevant stakeholders, and conducting political socialization and education for the public," said Totok in a press release on Monday (February 12, 2024).

"Bawaslu is also conducting direct supervision to ensure the availability of election logistics at polling stations, the implementation of voting and vote counting in accordance with regulations, the accuracy of voter data, and the exercise of voting rights," he added.

Bawaslu collected this data from approximately 36,136 villages/sub-districts in 33 provinces that reported polling station vulnerabilities in their respective regions between February 3-8, 2024.

This mapping does not yet include the New Autonomous Regions (DOB) of Papua and North Maluku due to limited internet access during data transmission.