So You Are Not Registered on the Voters List? Here’s How to Resolve It

As a citizen who is eligible to vote in the upcoming local election, have you already registered on the official Voters List? What should you do if your name has not been on the list? Here are some tips:

1. Look for your name on the list. There are two ways to look for it: direct checking or online;
2. You can perform direct checking by visiting your local administrative office near your residential area. You can look for the Voters List on the announcement board;
3. You can perform online checking by visiting pilkada2017.kpu.go.id. Go to Pemilih (Voters) menu, and then to Data Pemilih Tetap (Data on Regstered Voters). Alternatively, you can directly go to pilkada2017.kpu.go.id/pemilih/dpt/nasional. You can just type in your citizenship number as printed on your Resident Identification Card (KTP) on the search bar of the website;
4. If your name is not on the list, immediately visit nearest Voting Committee Office (PPS) at your local administrative office (kelurahan) or Sub-District Voting Committee Office (PPK) at the Sub-District Administrative Office. Alternatively, you can visit the Local Election Commission (KPUD) office, either the Regency KPU or the Provincial KPU;
5. After you are convinced that your name is not on the list, you can ask your local PPS to include your name on the Additional Voters List (DPTb) by showing your electronic-KTP and a letter of reference from the Office for Residents and Civilian Records (Dukcapil);
6. The letter of reference from Dukcapil can be acquired from your nearest local Dukcapil Office. Only resident whose data is recorded in the database is allowed to be given with a letter of reference;
7. You should bring your e-KTP or the letter of reference from Dukcapil to the Polling Center on the voting day (February 15^th 2017). It is sufficient for you to only bring either one of the two documents.
8. Unlike regular voters, voter from the DPTb (Additional Voters List) is only allowed to vote during the last hour before the polling center is closed (12:00 PM until 13:00 PM).
9. It is recommended for all voters from DPTb to come early in the morning so that Voting Committees are able to predict how many ballots are needed for the additional voters.

The Election Commission (KPU) set out voters’ participation target at 75%. This target is higher than the target for Legislative Elections in 2014 (70%) and Presidential Election in 2014 (72.5%).

The Local Elections of 2017 will be held in 101 regional areas in Indonesia. These elections are the second phase of the Indonesian Local Election, after the first phase was held in 2015 in 269 regional areas. In 2018, there will be another phase of local elections held in 172 regional areas. Local elections in Indonesia use one-round election system (plurality system), except for local election in Jakarta which uses two-round system (majority system).

Public participation in elections is what distinguishes democracy with other political system. However, voters’ participation is only a part of a bigger public participation in democracy. The public, for example, can participate in election monitoring and/or reporting any electoral violation to the election committee.

Voters’ participation is an important variable to determine the success of an election. The rate of voters’ participation can show how serious the election management body prepares for the electoral process.