'Ghost' voters could haunt presidential election<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission (KPU) warned on Monday that
\nmillions of \"ghost\" voters, or those recorded on the voters
\nregistration list who did not actually exist, could affect the
\nJuly 5 presidential election.<\/p>\n
After a month-long registration period, the commission has
\nmanaged to remove only 1.4 million of an estimated five million
\nghost voters.<\/p>\n
\"Officials at the Village Elections Committees (PPSs) have
\nworked steadily to identify nonexistent voters and dropped them
\nfrom the list, but time is not on our side. We need more time to
\nfurther reduce the number of ghost voters,\" KPU Deputy Chairman
\nRamlan Surbakti told a media briefing here.<\/p>\n
Ramlan said he was disappointed at the result.<\/p>\n
Ghost voters are those registered on the list of eligible
\nvoters although they may have already died, moved away, been
\njailed or are underage.<\/p>\n
Independent poll watchdogs such as the Rectors' Forum and the
\nEconomic and Social Research, Development and Education Institute
\n(LP3ES) have estimated that the figure stands at 2 percent of
\neligible voters.<\/p>\n
Ramlan said ghost voters would cause an excess of ballot
\npapers on election day.<\/p>\n
\"Consequently, we have created new procedures to reject
\nleftover ballot papers in anticipation of possible ballot
\nrigging,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On election day, members of Polling Station Committees (KPPSs)
\nwould mark unpierced ballot papers with black markers and then
\nkeep them in sealed envelopes, he said.<\/p>\n
The commission has planned to print an extra 2.5 percent of
\naround 150 million ballot papers as a reserve for the
\npresidential polls.<\/p>\n
In the April 5 legislative elections, there were instances in
\nwhich voter cards were sent out to children, dead people or those
\nwho had already moved to a different location.<\/p>",
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