Hong Dein : The number of eligible voters in Mudon Township and Three Pagodas Pass (TPP), as announced by the Burmese Election Commission in late September, is five times greater than maximum amount each allotted poll station can process on election day.
Thousands of eligible voters could find themselves still waiting for the chance to cast their ballots when polls stations are closed on the night of November 7th, 2010.
According to the Amyotha Hluttaw Election Law’s article 75, from Union Election Commission, if an approved village tract has more than 300 eligible voters for a single election station, each tract should be given accorded another station and appropriate amounts of poll attendants.
“They recognize about 300 eligible voters per voting station. But now about 1,800 and over 2,000 eligible voters per voting station” a member of the Election Commission in Mudon Township reported.
According to the Election Commission’s announcement for Mudon Township in Mon State, there are 1,800 eligible voters for Kalortthot village group per station, 2,525 for Kyaikywe village group per station, and 2,200 for Kawpihtaw village group per station.
“Eligible voters have to vote for four [different legislatures] so there is not enough time from 6 am to 4 pm to give all voters [a chance to vote] according to the amount [of voters] they announced currently”, the Election Commission member reported.
According to Nai Tun Ye also known Dr Ngwe Soe of the All Mon Regions Democracy Party (AMDP), who is contesting for State Hluttaw Constituency No -2 in Mudon Township, “We have to be careful and [tell] the remaining eligible voters [still standing in line on election day] are not to return home without voting, and they must stay in line and vote at the station”.
TPP town, Karen State has been allotted only six polling booths for over 8,000 eligible voters in the town, according to a member of the TPP Sub-Township Election Commission.
Elsewhere in Mon state, the Election Commission’s preparations for November 7th are well underway. The Thanphyuzayart Township Election Commission recently held a training with government officials and voting station officers in Tayortpo village and Kyaikhamee town, where the Burmese officials taught Commission members and poll station officers proper voting procedures for election day.
According to the New Light of Myanmar on October 5th, Union Election Commission member U Nyunt Tin recently met with the Mon State Sub-Election Commission, secretary, and Commission members at the Mon State Election Commission Hall in Moulmein. Topics discussed in the meeting were how t o successfully hold the election process, how to display election stations, how to distribute voting papers, where to go to vote secretly, and how to recognize voting stations.
According to the Pyithu Hluttaw Law’s article 42 (a), on the day of the upcoming election, polling booths shall be kept open from 6 am to 4 pm. However, polling booths may be closed earlier than 4 pm if all eligible voters have cast their votes.
Article 42 (b) of the same law states that while the polling booths must be closed at 4 pm exactly, if voters have arrived on the premises of the said polling booth before it has closed, but have not yet cast their votes, a list of these voters shall be prepared, and the individuals included on this list will be permitted to cast their votes after polling hours are over.
According to members of the Mudon Township and TPP election commissions, voting stations will be set up in primary schools and religious hall if villages don’t have Village Peace and Development Council’s offices for the stations to placed in.
