But the Home Ministry disagreed. “Simultaneous” means all have to be done in one day, even though this provision is stipulated by the Ministry itself. Not a law. Apparently, following procedures is more important than saving money.
In the end, Suprawoto only carried out e-voting in 18 villages, one village per district. The village with the largest population was chosen. The remaining villages used the traditional technique, with lidi (palm leaf veins).
The elections were held successfully. There was no dispute at all. Suprawoto became more confident. It is indeed the old way that usually creates disputes.
E-voting is also speedier. The results can be known more quickly. Once the voting is complete, the officials will print out the results, almost instantaneously. The printed results are pasted at the voting station.
Because the rule says it must be simultaneous, Suprawoto is now buying lots of laptops. And printers, as many as needed for the simultaneous pilkades.
Because they don’t have to be conducted in one day, he doesn’t need to buy many laptops. After all, village elections are very local in nature. Results in one village will not affect results in any other villages. It’s different from the semi-finals of a soccer match, where they must start at the exact same time.
At that time, Suprawoto used e-voting software made by the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT). Since it is a very simple process, Magetan is making its own software for next week’s pilkades on September 12.
The way voting is conducted is very simple. The laptop is placed inside a cubicle. On the screen you can see the photos of the candidates, names and ballot numbers.
Voters just need to touch the photo of the candidate he/she wishes to vote for on the screen. When touched, the photo will become larger. Then two options appears: OK and CANCEL.