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Screenshot of Chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Ilham Saputra at the Voting Simulation and Vote Counting on Simplification of Ballot Design and Election Forms for 2024 Election in North Sulawesi, November 20, 2021. (ANTARA/Tri Meilani A/rst)

Chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Ilham Saputra, affirmed that the KPU will simplify the 2024 general election ballot after an evaluation of the 2019 general election.

"This is our effort to simplify voting and vote counting," Saputra noted on Saturday.

The KPU chairman conveyed the plan during the Voting Simulation and Vote Counting on Simplification of Ballot Design and Election Forms for 2024 at the North Sulawesi KPU office that was monitored here.

During the 2019 General Election, with regard to the five ballots, difficulties and confusion were experienced by the voters and the organizing staff to count the votes, he pointed out.

Voters also encountered difficulties in rechecking their voted ballots in accordance with the provisions imposed by the KPU.

Saputra noted that the policy of simplifying the ballot design is expected to improve the implementation of the 2024 General Election.

The Commission chairman remarked that the earlier simulation process had been conducted internally by KPU.

The ballot design was simplified through a research process, discussion forums, and inputs from experts in pursuit of a better voting system and mechanism, Saputra stated.

However, he believes that there were logical and political consequences that the KPU must accept in the form of the consequences of revisions in law.

"There are consequences if we want to simplify the ballot design. There will be law revisions on our plans," he remarked.

However, he emphasized that the KPU had done its best to facilitate the implementation of the 2024 General Election.

Saputra is optimistic that all respondents during the simulation would be actively involved in providing inputs.

"I hope everyone, who attended today's event, as voters, voting place (TPS) guards, and observers during today's simulation, would be actively involved in helping us to provide evaluations and inputs, so that we can redesign the ballot," he concluded//ANT