KPU Trials Electronic Voice Recapitulation Application

JAKARTA - The General Election Commission (KPU) is holding a simulation on the use of the Electronic Recapitulation Information System (Sirekap) application. Sirekap will be used in the 2020 regional elections.

KPU I commissioner Dewa Raka Sandi said that this application would be used to calculate the results of the regional elections which were held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The trial this time will be very important for all of us in order to prepare vote counting up to the recap stage in the 2020 Simultaneous Pilkada Advanced," said Raka at the KPU building, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, August 25.

The simulation was carried out by 30 KPU RI employees who acted as the Voting Organizing Group (KPPS). The KPU also presented 6 witnesses and 6 polling station supervisors.

First, the KPU prepares an official report on the results of vote recapitulation (C1-KWK) that has been filled in as a sample. This sheet is installed around the walls of the Plenary Meeting Room of the KPU RI office.

"Each of these KPPS officers will later use the Sirekap application on their respective cellphones, with several existing sequences," said KPU Commissioner Evi Novida Ginting.

The Sirekap application will display the data from the C1-KWK input process. The KPPS officer then sends the photo results to the witness and the TPS supervisor in the form of a QR code.

The data is then aggregated from each TPS to sub-districts, sub-districts, to regencies / cities in the election for mayor / regent, or forwarded to the provincial level for gubernatorial elections.

Evi said that the Sirekap simulation is expected to find out the technical problems that will be faced during the vote counting day by the KPPS.

"Hopefully, the obstacles that may arise in this trial can be improved. Trials can also be carried out in a number of regions to ensure that this system is truly ready and there will be no problems when it is implemented later," Evi explained.

Previously reported, the process of recapitulation of the 2020 Pilkada votes was no longer carried out manually or in stages from sub-districts, regencies or cities, to provinces. The reason is that all stages of regional elections, starting from registration, campaign period, to election day which will be held on December 9 must apply the COVID-19 protocol.

Actually, electronic recapitulation has been carried out since the 2014 Election to the 2019 Election. However, the calculation and official approval is still carried out by manual recapitulation with in-person meetings.

Now, when the COVID-19 pandemic entered Indonesia, changes in the pattern of community activities that were mostly carried out online made the KPU consider electronic recapitulation to be used as official validation of voting results.