Recently a piece of news broke out about the restrictions imposed on voters. Among the many restrictions, the one that made headlines was not to accept votes after 10 pm. It was also revealed that voters who tend to submit their vote at 10 or after 10 pm would be collected and then set aside.
Moreover, the person who submits the vote at that time will be explained that you are not allowed to submit any vote because the time is up. Additionally, After 10 pm, no one will be issued a voting paper, even if they are inside the polling place and waiting for their turn to get a ballot paper.
Besides, some issues that the Electoral Commission encountered during the elections included staffing. Polling station employees will need to deal with the marking of the register, the CNL, and the distribution of two ballot sheets. Here examining the implications for staffing and training are required.
Another issue raised was related to Voting booths. Consider whether there is a need to expand the number of booths due to the possibility of increased turnout and voters taking longer to mark two ballot papers than one. In any stance, proper training and education is the only solution. Additionally, competent staff will be the ideal solution!
For better understanding, the government has released a guide to “How to deal with a queue of voters as only those issued with ballot papers by 10 pm can vote.”
Aside from this, a brief set of rules explained by the Electoral Commission claimed that;
- Every polling station must close at sharp 10 pm.
- When the time is past, make sure to close the doors of the voting station to avoid anyone entering it.
- The next rule states that anyone who has been issued with a ballot paper by 10 pm must be allowed to vote.
- Lastly, it states that even if the elector has been standing in the queue at 10 pm, he cannot get the ballot paper.
After many confirmations, it’s evident that now these rules are legit. So, if you want to vote, you better go early. You never want to stand in a long queue for hours just to get the ballot paper, and when it’s your turn, you might not get it due to the closing time.
