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Regions short of poll workers resort to direct appointment
As the deadline for applications passed on Dec. 20, a number of regional KPUs found they were faced with a shortage of local poll administrators (KPPS), which has been attributed in part to the deaths of almost 900 KPPS during the 2019 election.
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A local poll administrator (right), or KPPS, directs a man in inserting his ballot paper into the correct ballot box on Dec. 19, 2023, during a 2024 election simulation held at the Jombang General Elections Commission (KPU) in Jombang regency, East Java. Regional KPUs are running technical workshops to train KPPS to assist with the general election on Feb. 14, 2024. (Antara/Syaiful Arif)
A number of regions that previously reported a shortage of applicants as local poll administrators (KPPS) have turned to directly appointing them to assist in the simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on Feb. 14.
The prevailing regulations allow General Elections Commissions (KPUs) in municipalities and regencies across the country to appoint members of the public as KPPS, if they are unable to recruit enough paid volunteers to man their polling stations.
Regional election organizers are also allowed to work with civil society organizations and education institutions in recruiting poll workers, as long as they meet the age requirement and qualifications for the job.
The KPU needs around 5.7 million KPPS to fill some 820,000 polling stations across the country, at seven people per station. In addition, the KPU needs to recruit 12,765 Indonesian citizens to help manage the overseas polling stations in 128 countries and territories.
Late last week, all municipal and regency KPUs published their list of successful KPPS applicants. But some regional KPUs had not recruited enough poll workers by the time the 10-day application period closed on Dec. 20.
For example, East Java must recruit some 844,000 poll workers, but only 831,000 people applied for the job via the normal route.
“This means there is a shortage of 13,000 local poll administrators,” KPU East Java head Choirul Anam said last Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.id.
