Khatter Non : Polling booth officers in Karen State are preparing for quick and effective voting by associating each eligible voter’s name with a number.
These polling booth officers from Three Pagodas Pass (TPP) are distributing numbers in preparation for November 7th, where over 10,000 eligible voters will be voting at 10 polling booths in the area.
The number of voters per station is so large that the election commission has associated a number with names to make for a more efficient and faster voting process. Polling Station 1 in TPP has 1,218 voters, Station 2 has 1,320 voters, Station 3 has around 3,372 voters and Station 4 has 2,857 voters. In Chaung Zone village, near TPP, Station 1 has 467 voters, Station 2 has 575, Station 3 has 488, and Station 4 has 958 voters.
“The polling booth election commission has distributed the numbers to each eligible voter’s home. This will save time and allow voting to finish early,” said a polling booth officer at Three Pagodas Pass.TPP authorities have also given temporary cards to those voters who do not possess the national Burmese identification card, so that they,too, will be able to vote for the election.
The Election Commission (EC) members, polling booth officers, and the polling booth teams will vote before the election on November 7th. The polling booth officer added, “We don’t have time to vote on that day [November 7th], that’s why we are voting before the election.”
According to the election guidelines given to the polling booth officers, polling booth team, and vice-polling booth team, to a polling booth station needs to be built if there are 300 or more eligible voters in an area, though some stations will be set up at schools and government offices.
A polling booth officer in Thanphyuzayart Township in Mon State, reported that the high authorities ordered polling booth officers and all sub-commission officers to vote on November 5th and 6th. This polling booth officer said “the population of eligible voters is so large, around 1,500. But the higher authorities assured that they will be able to collect all these eligible voters’ votes on time.”
Even though the election is scheduled for a Sunday, schools will close early in preparation for the election.
