Beware Of The Potential For Cheating If Election Voters Participation Is Low

Illustration (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

JAKARTA - Perludem researcher Fadli Ramadhanil reminded the General Election Commission (KPU) of the potential for fraud that would occur if voter participation at the polling stations (TPS) was low during the 2020 Pilkada.

"If voter participation at the polling stations decreases, there is the potential for vote manipulation, the potential for mobilizing the masses of those who are not entitled to it, or maybe even misuse of ballots," said Fadli in a virtual discussion, Thursday, August 6.

The potential for fraud, said Fadli, must be avoided by the KPU, especially the ranks of the polling organization (KPPS). Because, currently there is a concern that public participation will decline because it is currently hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decline in voter turnout during the COVID-19 pandemic has been predicted by a number of surveys. For example, the survey institute Charta Politika stated that only 34.9 percent of pilkadaa voters admitted to coming to the polling stations during the pandemic.

As many as 10.2 percent would not come, while 55 percent of respondents said they did not know or did not answer.

"Fewer voters pay attention to the election process in the midst of a pandemic due to difficult economic conditions and concerns about the threat of COVID-19 transmission," he said.

Furthermore, Fadli said the KPU's target of the participation of voters who came to the polling stations during the pandemic of 77.5 percent was indeed quite high.

However, this could be the KPU's motivation to ensure the safety of voters and organizers from spreading COVID-19 on polling day.

"Now that there are concerns about decreasing public attention, it will be a challenge for the KPU to answer this condition and then encourage people to continue to participate in the process of implementing the elections," explained Fadli.

It is known, the election day for the 2020 Pilkada will fall on Wednesday, December 9, 2020. There are 270 regions consisting of 9 provinces, 224 regencies and 37 cities that will hold regional head contests.

The legal umbrella for the implementation of the 2020 Pilkada has been passed in a Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 2 of 2020 which is now a law.

As for the entire implementation of the pilkada stage activities, it will be accompanied by the implementation of the COVID-19 prevention protocol. Among them are always wearing a mask, keeping your distance, preventing the crowd.

Each meeting is limited to a 50 percent reduction in capacity. The election organizers also undergo regular rapid tests.