KPK pushes for e-voting implementation to address electoral fraud and high election costs

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is pushing for the implementation of an electronic voting system, or e-voting, to tackle fraud and the substantial costs of election campaigns that political parties must bear.

Head of the Law Enforcement and Politics Task Force at KPK’s Monitoring Directorate, Kiagus Ibrahim, stated that one of the largest expenses incurred by political parties in winning elections is the cost of witnesses at polling stations.

“One party complained that they could prepare funds of around Rp1.2 trillion, which is enormous. This is what must be borne by the members participating in the elections,” said Kiagus during a public discussion at the Bawaslu RI Building in Jakarta on Wednesday.

KPK views the high cost of elections as a “vicious circle” that ultimately leads to corrupt practices.

He explained that one witness is paid around Rp250,000. For one election, political parties must deploy one to two witnesses in various regions, resulting in considerable expenses.

These witness costs could be eliminated, among other ways, by switching to an electronic voting system. Although potentially controversial, he suggested that the e-voting option be studied ahead of the 2029 General Election.

Kiagus stated that the e-voting system is not as complex as imagined and has proven successful at the local level.

“We surveyed Kabupaten Sleman, Yogyakarta. There, village head elections were held, but do not think village heads are few. One sub-district there, named Caturtunggal Sub-district, has 70,000 household heads,” he said.

He continued, “Imagine 70,000 for one area; the data we have is equivalent to that in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and eastern regions. This means one village in Sleman can conduct elections electronically.”

He also dismissed public concerns regarding data security issues or hacking in the e-voting system.

“This is automatic counting at the location. So, it’s just clicks, and the summary is immediate,” he remarked.

Based on KPK’s findings during the 2024 Bangka Regency by-election rerun in Bangka Belitung, potential fraud occurs during manual vote counting. Vote tallies are said to be manipulable.

“What is the end result? The motive is giving money, so money politics. For this reason, we recommend conducting elections at least gradually in certain regions to carry out digital voting,” said Kiagus.