The voting process of the 2020 regional elections is considered by many to have run quite smoothly and safely. However, mitigation of the possibility of an increase in COVID-19 cases must still be prepared.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·5 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- The voting process of the 2020 regional elections that took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, on Wednesday (9/12/2020), ran relatively smoothly and safely. The results of monitoring by a number of institutions also show that a majority of voters and polling station working committee (KPPS) members complied with the COVID-19 preventive health protocols.
However, local administrations still need to prepare mitigation efforts to anticipate new COVID-19 cases arising after the voting.
Meanwhile, in terms of participation, the tendency was that voter participation was not high in a number of regions. This was reported in a number of polling stations (TPS) in Jambi; Padang, West Sumatra; Demak, Central Java; and Pontianak, West Kalimantan. The reasons why people did not vote were various, including extreme weather, disappointment with the candidates’ programs and the COVID-19 pandemic. "The number of voters is low. Maybe because of the pandemic,” said Dian, chairman of the KPPS in Ganting Parak Gadang, East Padang, Padang municipality.
On the other hand, many people were not worried about going to the TPS to exercise their voting rights. "Anyway, I try to follow the health protocols as much as possible," said Neltje, 54, a voter at a TPS in Wenang, Manado municipality, North Sulawesi.
General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Arief Budiman said the KPU could not yet confirm the percentage of voter participation out of the approximately 100 million registered voters. However, from preliminary monitoring, he hoped that the participation rate could reach 70 percent.
In the 2015 regional elections, the voter turnout rate was 69 percent, then 74.5 percent in the 2017 regional elections and 73.2 percent in the 2018 regional elections. Of the 270 regions organizing the 2020 regional elections, based on data from the national KPU and the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), as of Wednesday night, a postponement of the regional elections only occurred in Boven Digoel, Papua, due to a candidate dispute. Meanwhile replacement voting was held in eight districts in Yahukimo and one district in Yalimo in Papua because of delays in logistical deliveries.
Re-voting will potentially be held at 43 TPS in 30 regencies or cities. At those TPS, Bawaslu found personation, ineligible voters casting their ballots and KPPS members who voted.
The National Police also assessed that there were no significant security disturbances during the voting. However, the National Police chief Gen. Idham Azis, reminded all citizens, especially the candidates and their campaign teams, to be prepared to accept all kinds of results and decisions from the voting process.
Protocol compliance
M Afifuddin, a Bawaslu member, said that based on the results of supervision by Bawaslu members in the regions, a majority of voters and KPPS members at TPS complied with health protocols. According to him, the obedience of citizens during the voting was better than during the campaign period.
Similar observations were made by the COVID-19 task force. The results of the task force’s monitoring of 34,014 points showed that the level of compliance particularly of voters wearing face masks reached 96 percent.
Chairman of the COVID-19 task force, Doni Monardo, appealed to the regional administrations and poll organizers to remain vigilant until the election process completely finished. Some processes, such as ballot counting, deserve attention and control because of the potential to create crowds.
Although in general the community adhered to health protocols, Bawaslu found allegations that KPPS members who were exposed to COVID-19 were still present at 1,172 TPS, out of 300,000 TPS. Regarding this, the national KPU will wait for Bawaslu\'s data to be traced.
In Tomohon, North Sulawesi, a TPS monitoring member who tested positive for COVID-19 was present at the location. He only learned about the results of the COVID-19 swab test when he was on duty at the TPS. "His previous rapid test was non-reactive. It turned out that his swab test was positive,” said a member of North Sulawesi Bawaslu, Kenly Poluan.
Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Epidemiologists, Hariadi Wibisono, said that one of the risk factors for COVID-19 transmission was crowds. Any crowds for whatever purpose, including during the 2020 regional elections, will increase the risk of transmission.
"Moreover, many COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, so there is a chance of transmission when crowding around," he said.
The regional administrations, he said, must anticipate a potential spike in cases. Several steps that must be taken, among others, are increasing testing capacity, intensifying contact tracing and preparing hospitals or isolation areas for COVID-19 patients.
Many COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, so there is a chance of transmission when crowding around.
Senior manager of the international program with Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Adhy Aman, also pointed to the same thing. This is because the increase in cases arising from elections also occurred in several other countries, for example Myanmar. Myanmar held elections on Nov. 8. Then, on Nov. 10 active cases began to increase even though voters complied with the health protocols during the election.
A similar phenomenon also occurred in Sabah, Malaysia. From July the number of new cases had been recorded at less than 50 cases per day. However, the figure started to increase in September to reach 300 cases per day. This spike occurred due to the emergence of several new transmission clusters, one of which was the election in Sabah State on Sept. 26.