The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has made changes to the number and locations of ballot boxes for the second round of the presidential election.
ECM stated that that 574 ballot boxes were placed in the first round of the election, but that changes will be made to the placement of ballot boxes at 29 polling stations for the second round. The changes include polling stations in various cities including Male'. The commission stated that more ballot boxes will be placed in some locations while changes are being made to other locations due to space constraints.
ECM has published the list of ballot box placement changes on Twitter and the Government Gazette. The commission stated individuals will be notified of any changes to their voting location after the final voters' list is published. It added that the placement of the ballot boxes has still not been finalised and that work has begun to hire more officials for polling stations with additional ballot boxes.
ECM has decided to place two ballot boxes at polling stations with over 500 registered voters in order to prevent long queues. The commission noted the limited space in some polling stations for the first round of the election and stated that some locations would be changed for the second round. The changes are expected to ease the convenience of voters.
ECM has also begun a refresher training course for officials in order, to focus on solving the issues faced during the first round of the election. The officials are being instructed on maintaining queues at polling stations, designating invalid ballots, and other important matters.