Gresik Regency Government Finalises 2026 Village Head Elections, Prepares E-Voting for Transparency

The Gresik Regency Government is finalising preparations for the 2026 Simultaneous Village Head Elections (Pilkades). For the first wave, scheduled for November 2026, 15 villages currently led by acting village heads will participate in the election process.

As part of an effort to increase transparency, accountability, and the quality of democracy at the village level, the Gresik Regency Government has begun socialising the implementation of an electronic voting (e-voting) system. The socialisation session was held at the Putri Cempo Room, Gresik Regent’s Office, on Monday, 15 June 202 moving forward, attended by representatives from various sub-districts and village governments. The event also featured Andrari Grahitandaru from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), who presented the technical aspects of implementing e-voting in the elections.

The implementation of e-voting, according to the Regional Secretary of Gresik Regency, Achmad Washil Miftahul Rachman, is part of an effort to modernise village democratic governance to be faster, more accurate, and more transparent. “The idea for e-voting emerged because it is deemed capable of accelerating the voting and counting process, while simultaneously increasing the accuracy and validity of the election results,” he said. He added that various potential errors that frequently occur in manual processes can be minimised through a digital system.

In 2026, Washil stated, the first wave of Pilkades will be held in 15 villages currently led by acting heads. Overall, there are 283 villages in Gresik Regency that will eventually undergo the election process.

Historically, the vote-counting process often lasts until late at night and requires significant energy from organisers. With an e-voting system, election results can be known much faster once the voting process concludes. “If previously the counting process could last until nightfall, causing fatigue for committees and officers, then with e-voting, the process can be conducted much more quickly and efficiently,” he noted.

He continued that the implementation of e-voting aligns with the direction of government digitalisation policies currently being driven through the implementation of the Electronic-Based Government System (SPBE). Therefore, digital transformation is not only applied to administrative government services but also to the democratic process at the village level.

Secretary Washil noted that implementing e-voting certainly requires thorough preparation, including aspects of budget and digital infrastructure. However, the benefits are considered far greater than the challenges faced. “Moving forward, there will certainly be various aspects to prepare, including budget requirements and digital infrastructure. However, the benefits obtained are significant, ranging from process acceleration and implementation efficiency to increased public trust in the election results,” he said.

Furthermore, the e-voting system is deemed capable of supporting security and order during the elections because the counting process will no longer be protracted. Thus, the potential for suspicion or disputes arising from a lengthy recapitulation process can be minimised.

He also expressed hope that the results obtained through this system would further strengthen the quality of democracy in Gresik Regency. “Through this socialisation, we also hope that all participants can disseminate information regarding the mechanism and benefits of e-voting to the community.”

Meanwhile, Andrari Grahitandaru explained that there are various technical aspects to implementing e-voting, ranging from voter verification mechanisms and the use of smart cards to the electronic voting process and systems for security and auditing election results.

The e-voting system is designed to maintain democratic principles while increasing the efficiency and accuracy of the election process. Voters will first verify their identity using an e-KTP reader integrated with the Permanent Voter List (DPT) application. Once the data is validated, voters will receive a smart card to access electronic ballots in the voting booth.

The voting mechanism is designed to be simple and easy to use for all layers of society. Voters simply select the photo of the village head candidate on an electronic device screen and confirm their choice. Once the process is complete, the system will print an audit trail stored in an audit box as part of the oversight and accountability mechanism.

In addition to providing convenience for voters, the e-voting system allows election results to be displayed immediately after the voting process closes. Consequently, the recapitulation process can be faster, more accurate, and more transparent.

Andrari also mentioned that the prepared e-voting system employs several layers of security. In addition to working offline without being connected to the internet during the voting process, the system is equipped with voter identity verification mechanisms, data integrity protection, and audit and reconciliation mechanisms to ensure every vote is correctly recorded and accountable.

The Head of the Community and Village Empowerment Office (PMD) of Gresik Regency, Abu Hassan, then outlined the preparation stages currently being undertaken by the Gresik Regency Government alongside BRIN to support e-voting in the 2026 elections. These stages include the formation of an implementation team, coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs, regulatory harmonisation, technology certification, human resource capacity building, as well as system simulations and trials before implementation in the elections.

Through collaboration with BRIN, the Gresik Regency Government hopes that the implementation of e-voting can proceed according to established technological and security standards, potentially serving as a pilot project.