Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has decided to punch holes to mark unused ballot papers after the presidential election. The decision was made after the electoral body held discussions with the political parties.
During a meeting held by the National Advisory Committee on Elections, the opposition coalition proposed the immediate destruction of unused ballot papers to ensure the integrity of the presidential election. However, ECM clarified that it was legally unfeasible, as unused ballot papers can only be destroyed 14 days after Election Day. The electoral body proposed alternative methods such as cutting corners or punching holes in the ballot papers.
During the last ECM meeting, the members took into consideration the suggestion made at the National Advisory Committee meeting and made the decision to punch holes in the unused ballot papers to mark them as invalid before sealing them in security envelopes after polls close. Vice President of ECM Ismail Habib said the decision was made to increase the confidence of the electoral system. He also addressed the opposition’s concerns over the unused ballot papers, highlighting that they had previously directly requested the ECM to ensure that the unused ballots be immediately destroyed after voting ends. He reiterated that this was illegal and that officials will instead punch holes in the unused ballot papers in plain view of the public after polls close.
The presidential election is scheduled to be held on September 9 and a possible second round will be held on September 30. The eligible voting population for the presidential election is 282,672 voters and over 600 ballot boxes will be placed for the presidential election, which is the largest number of boxes to be placed in any election in the Maldives. ECM has established its main headquarters for the election at Dharubaaruge' convention centre.