Automatic voting machines arrive in Kurdistan for Iraqi election
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Iraqi elections body has sent thousands of vote counting devices to the Kurdistan Region ahead of Iraqi parliamentary election on May 12, a move seen to speed up vote tallying and prevent voter fraud.
Rizgar Hama, the deputy head of the elections body, told Rudaw that nearly 5,800 vote counting machines have been sent to the Region’s provinces and that at each polling station, there will be one device to count the votes.
He added the device counts only ballots inside boxes and it automatically counts the votes of each candidates and entities.
This is the first time that technology will be used in the election process in Iraq.
Another importance of the new technology is that it speeds up vote tallying.
The device does not accept any extension for voting. The device is powered by battery in a country where power outages are widespread and frequent, especially in the warmer months.
In the past, elections in Iraq and Kurdistan have been extended by an hour, in order to help allow people cast their votes.
Election monitors often cite the changing of voting times as a way to gain support for certain candidates based on exit-poll data.
Iraqi parliamentary elections will be held on May 12. Election campaigns will start on April 14 across Iraq, but will be delayed by one day in the Kurdistan Region, as the Region is going to commemorate the Anfal Campaign on April 14.
Iraqi and Kurdish entities will compete for 325 seats in parliament. Of this number, 43 seats are entitled to the Kurdistan Region and 13 for Kirkuk.
Rizgar Hama, the deputy head of the elections body, told Rudaw that nearly 5,800 vote counting machines have been sent to the Region’s provinces and that at each polling station, there will be one device to count the votes.
He added the device counts only ballots inside boxes and it automatically counts the votes of each candidates and entities.
This is the first time that technology will be used in the election process in Iraq.
Another importance of the new technology is that it speeds up vote tallying.
“The device speeds up the vote-counting process to the extent that it is capable of counting them in two hours,” he said, saying it should also help to prevent fraud in the elections.
The device does not accept any extension for voting. The device is powered by battery in a country where power outages are widespread and frequent, especially in the warmer months.
In the past, elections in Iraq and Kurdistan have been extended by an hour, in order to help allow people cast their votes.
Election monitors often cite the changing of voting times as a way to gain support for certain candidates based on exit-poll data.
Iraqi parliamentary elections will be held on May 12. Election campaigns will start on April 14 across Iraq, but will be delayed by one day in the Kurdistan Region, as the Region is going to commemorate the Anfal Campaign on April 14.
Iraqi and Kurdish entities will compete for 325 seats in parliament. Of this number, 43 seats are entitled to the Kurdistan Region and 13 for Kirkuk.