The distribution of polling materials for the regional elections has gone relatively smoothly, but problems are still abound in several of the 171 regions holding elections this year.

Around 152 million people are set to cast their ballots at 387,599 polling stations across 17 provinces, 39 municipalities and 115 regencies to elect their regional leaders on Wednesday, making up 77 percent of the 197 million people expected to vote in the 2019 legislative and presidential elections.

General Elections Commission (KPU) offices across the country have distributed ballots according to the number of voters registered at every polling station, plus an additional 2.5 percent to cater to any unregistered voters that might show up.

The polling materials, which include ballots, boxes, voting booths, ink and other forms of stationery, have always been an issue in elections, as the archipelago’s vastness and varied geography have made it difficult to distribute the necessary supplies safely and promptly.

This election year is no different, with problems ranging from ghosts to gunshots.  

In Boyolali, Central Java, security officers assigned to guard polling materials complained of ghostly apparitions making their jobs difficult, particularly at night.

“We hear the sound of furniture being moved or someone crying and giggling inside the warehouse almost every night,” Boyolali police officer Second Brig. Wahyu Setiawan said on Sunday.

According to several guards, the most frightening incident occurred late last Thursday, when they heard the voices of playing children inside the warehouse.

“When we checked, we saw little children laughing and running, but then they disappeared near the bathroom,” said Tri Darmadi, a security guard assigned by KPU Boyolali.

The ghostly experiences, however, have not stopped them from guarding, among others, 1,645 ballot boxes 24 hours a day in rotating shifts. “Residents say that the place is haunted because it used to be a graveyard, but duty calls,” Wahyu said.

Other regions have faced more serious problems.

In Medan, North Sumatra, regional KPU officials found out earlier this month that the province was short of 8,195 ballots for the upcoming gubernatorial election.

KPU North Sumatra head Mulia Banurea said the shortage was due to damage and miscalculation.

KPU North Sumatra commissioner Benget Manahan Silitonga added on Monday that the ballots had been replaced and were on their way to the polling stations.

“We expect [the ballots] to arrive at polling stations tomorrow,” he said.

Also earlier this month in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), 681 ballots meant for the gubernatorial elections were mistakenly sent to two regencies in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

“They were sent [to the wrong province] by the printing company,” said NTT Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) official Yemris Fointuna.

More recently, a truck carrying election supplies for Sikka regency in NTT crashed into a tree on Monday morning, damaging ballot boxes and covers.

“We are preparing [replacements] and we have already requested for another vehicle to transport them,” KPU Sikka spokesman Fery Soge told Antara.

In Bandung, West Java, regional KPU commissioner Endun Abdulhaq said the province was still waiting for the printing and distribution of around 3,000 C1 forms for the gubernatorial elections.

Election officials use C1 forms to note down the vote tally for each candidate at a polling station.

“The production process was delayed by the Idul Fitri holiday, but the printing companies are quite fast so we are optimistic that [the forms] will be completed tonight,” Endun said on Monday.

The most serious incident occurred on Monday morning in Nduga, Papua, where a plane carrying election materials was shot at by unidentified assailants shortly after it landed at Kenyam Airport, injuring pilot Ahmad Abdillah Kamil.

Independent Election Monitoring Committee deputy secretary-general Girindra Sandino said though some improvements have been made over the years, logistics remained an intractable issue leading up to voting day.

“The final voters lists in particular are still a mess, with places like North Sumatra having an inflated number of voters,” he said.

— Apriadi Gunawan and Arya Dipa contributed to this story from Medan and Bandung

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