The General Election Commission Ensures Prisoners' Right to Vote During the 2024 Election Has No Obstacles

JAKARTA - The General Elections Commission (KPU) has confirmed that voters in penitentiaries and state detention centres can exercise their right to vote in the 2024 elections.

KPU member Betty Epsilon Idroos said that her party had signed a memorandum of understanding with all prisons and detention centres in Indonesia so that Correctional Families (WBK) could vote in the upcoming election.

Betty explained, as long as voters in prisons and detention centres meet the criteria, their rights are not closed. As for the criteria, voters are aged 17 years and over or not yet 17 years old but are married, not the National Police.

The KPU in this case serves election participants and voters so that it conducts data collection and mapping as well as data matching.

According to him, for the condition of residents who are in prisons and detention centres, they can't arrange voter transfers.

If they get the data by name by address and there is a person in charge, they will certainly be served silently, starting from providing their ballot papers and providing polling stations (TPS).

Hence, it provides a special TPS. In this case, the form is in the form of an official report, a statement from the chief of staff and chaos to prepare the data by name by address.

"So, as long as the data is complete, we will match it to voter data", he said when visiting the Class II A Muaro Prison in Padang, Thursday, February 2, confiscated by Antara.

Betty said that this particular TPS was based on an e-KTP. Padang prison inmates who are not from West Sumatra only get one ballot, namely the general election for president and vice president. If they are citizens of West Sumatra, they will get two elections, namely the Presidential Election and the Election for Members of the Indonesian Regional Representative Council.

He gave an example, one Indonesia House of Representatives electoral district in West Sumatra, for example, Padang is the same or not the Indonesia House of Representatives electoral district, then his party gives an Indonesia House of Representatives election letter. However, if it is not the same as the electoral district of the Indonesia House of Representatives, it will not be given. The same goes for provincial and district/city DPRDs.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of West Sumatra, Haris Sukamto, said that the KPU's visit to Padang prison showed that the state was present to finalize preparations for the 2024 elections.

"We discussed at the same time signing the memorandum of understanding and minutes related to readiness for the success of the 2024 elections", he said.

According to him, currently, there are 23 prisons and detention centres in W Sumatra. By the KPU's directives and policies, inmates have the right to vote in the 2024 election. That's why there is a special TPS.

"In the previous election, there were some residents who did not get the opportunity to vote. We asked for the cooperation of the Department of Population and Civil Registration and the KPU to provide opportunities for all citizens, especially WBK", he said.

On the same occasion, Chairman of the General Election Commission for West Sumatra Province, Yanuk Sri Mulyani, added that his party would facilitate those who are on the final voter list to be able to exercise their right to vote properly, one of which is the breakthrough of special TPS.

"Our fellow prisons and detention centres are also Indonesian citizens. We will make sure they are registered as voters and facilitate them to exercise their right to vote on February 14, 2024", he stated.