Q

uick counts have been frequently carried out since the 2004 general election, the first time such a real-time ballot counting method was used in Indonesia.

At the time, the Institute of Research, Education and Information of Social and Economic Affairs (LP3ES) in cooperation with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) from the US conducted a quick count in the legislative and presidential elections. They successfully predicted the winners of both elections.

As the practice has continued to grow, quick counts have become a topic of debate, with some parties arguing that the publication of quick counts influences election outcomes.

Following those debates, in 2009, quick counts became subject to regulation in the Election Law, which only allows the publication of quick counts the day after an election closes. But in practice, quick count institutions have continued to publish their results on the same day.

For this upcoming election, the government has relaxed the requirement by allowing quick count institutions to publish their results two hours after an election closes. The Election Law also requires quick count institutions to register with the General Elections Commission (KPU) at least 30 days before the election. As many as 56 institutions have registered with
the KPU.

'€” Benni Yusriza