Khatter Non : Poll stations for Burma’s November 7th elections will be set up on on the first day of the month, sources in Three Pagodas Pass (TPP) and and Mon State claim.
Polling officers from both TPP and Mon State claim that poll stations will be largely set up in schools, Village Peace and Development Council offices, and government office departments. In a few instances, polls will need to be built. Poll preparations are due to be finished by November 4th.
A polling booth officer from TPP reported that the TPP election commission has already completed the signboards for the local poll station, which contain the candidate lists, and the constituencies they are running for: the Pyithu Hluttaw (or Lower House , the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House), the State or Regional Hluttaw, and ethnic minority constituencies.
“The poll stations will conclude [construction] three days before the election. The signboard to stick up for the election has been finished and it just remains to put it up. Currently our 16 commission members are sharing the duties [for the TPP poll station],” the polling booth officer said.
A sub-group of the Election Commission called the “Commission for preparing polling stations” will take responsibility for preparing and building poll stations for the elections.
“We have 12 members on the Commission of polling booth officers, and the Commission for preparing polling stations is 20 members. There are 1,500 eligible voters in my village who must finish voting [on election day],” said a polling booth officer from Thanphyuzayart Township, who asked that the name of his village be witheld.
Each poll station will reportedly contain “secret voting rooms” where voters will cast their ballots for each of the four constituencies. Poll officers said that they had not received any formal guide on how to set up polling stations, but claimed instead that they, as well as vice-polling booth officers, received trainings on how to set up the stations from higher Election Commission officials.
The polling booth officers that IMNA spoke with reported that a village tract must contain a minimum of 300 eligible voters before a poll station can be set up.
Schools are reportedly the most convenient locations for polling stations, as Burmese state schools are currently on a break period, and will not open up to students again until after the elections.
Most polling booth officers are civilian government staff members and teachers; they are under the leadership of the Township Sub-Commission for the elections.
