KPU Will Implement Sustainable Updating System for Voters List

The National Election Commission (KPU RI) conducted a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to discuss about the updating system for Voters’ List with members of KPU from all over Indonesia, election activists, and election experts (05/05). During the FGD, KPU RI received many input and recommendations on the effective way to update the Voters’ List, election budget, and the willingness to coordinate with KPU subsidiaries in local areas.

The Chairman of KPU RI, Arief Budiman, says that the focus of the FGD is the updating system of the Voters List for the 2019 National Elections. The updating process will be conducted by KPU at regency, municipality, and province level.

“Many parties says that KPU should update the Voters List annually or biennially. Some people also suggest that KPU should conduct plenary meeting every year to assess ans analyze the updating process from the last year,” says Arief in Jakarta.

Arief explains that sustainable updating process of Voters List will be advantageous for political parties. Parties will be able to examine the Voters List periodically.

The Executive Director of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), Titi Anggraini, says that it’s about time KPU implement sustainable updataing process of the Voters List. This initiative will increase the quality of our elections and prevent many problems regarding voters administration.

“Ideally speaking, eligible voters should be active in registering themselves to the commission. However, in Indonesia, the voters are quite passive and tend to wait for the government to come for them. KPU need to realize this and make a breakthrough. Therefore, improving the updating process of the Voters List is necessary,” says Titi.

Titi also says the publis should never worry about the budget needed to execute the updating improvement. The cost of implementing sustainable updating process for the Voters List will pay itself in the future.

“Eventhough the program is expensive, it will be worth the improvement we get for our democracy. Poor voters administration will cost a lot more than if we do nothing about it,” says Titi.