EC admits indelible ink washable in GE13 post mortem report

Indelible ink that washes off; dries too slowly, stains the ballot papers as well as the lack of explanation over its procedures.

Those were some of the weaknesses that the Election Commission (EC) identified during its 13th General Election(GE13) post mortem meeting.

According to a statement by EC secretary Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh, several improvements have been undertaken to address the above issues.

“Improvements include changes in ink itself, the storage method, and from being painted on to now dipping the finger into the ink, and having a guide book available for the voting clerk,” he said.

These changes were used in the Kuala Besut and Sungai Limau by elections in July 24 and November 4 respectively.

The GE13 post mortem of 222 Parliamentary and 505 State elections was held between June 19 to July 15. It was chaired by the EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and attended by various other officers.

Other issues and recommendations discussed in the post mortem include:

• Trainings is now done in smaller groups and focuses on practical application as there was a lack of practical training for election officers and briefings were held too early and in groups too large
• EC is recommending several improvements on issues during polling day, such as voters getting mixed up with polling centres, overcrowding at the centres, and harassment by party agents at voter checking counters.
• EC is studying ways of preventing delays in the announcement of the election results at the polling centres, which was found to have occurred, as it could cause tension at the polling centres.
• Issue of many voters in one address: EC has investigated several reported cases, including cases in Kg Sungai Pusu, Gombak, Pandamaran. It found that several voters did use the same address when they did not stay there. The reasoning this happened, most often in squatter areas. Investigations by EC showed that the reasoning given that it was easier access by postmen.