Local Elections: In-House Printing of Ballot Papers at Polling Stations
Ballot Printing for Local Elections to be Decentralized in Kyrgyzstan
In a significant change, ballot papers for the upcoming local elections in Kyrgyzstan will not be printed centrally by the Uchkun state printing house, as it has been done in the past. This update was confirmed by Uzarbek Zhylkybaev, a member of the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan, in an interview with 24.kg news agency.
According to Zhylkybaev, ballots will now be printed at each individual polling station. Special printers will be purchased for this purpose, and once a voter completes the biometric identification process, the printer will automatically generate the appropriate ballot.
Addressing concerns about the possibility of printing or stuffing extra ballots, Zhylkybaev assured that safeguards are in place. If any tampering or irregularities are detected, the automatically reading ballot box will reject the ballots. Additionally, if the number of ballots exceeds the number of voters by even one, the results will be nullified. The integration of the printer with the biometric identification device further ensures that no extra ballots can be printed.
The decision to decentralize the printing of ballots comes in the wake of the presidential decree dissolving local councils and calling for elections of deputies. Approximately 484 local councils are set to be dissolved, with elections for deputies of 249 local councils scheduled for November 17.
This shift towards decentralized ballot printing aims to enhance the transparency and integrity of the electoral process in Kyrgyzstan, ensuring fair and accurate election results.
