Taking voting procedures to the voters’ doorsteps, the Election Commission facilitated a mobile voting facility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. While the initiative brought great relief to the people in Trashigang, many had difficulty recognizing the image of the candidates in the ballot paper and with using a pen to tick against the name of the candidates.
Polling officials travelled to every nook and corner in Trashigang to leave no one behind for the third LG election. But with most voters being uneducated and old, many complained that it was not easy.
“The system was quite difficult for us. We had to use a pen to tick to vote for the candidate we want to vote for. Using a thumbprint would have been a lot easier,” said Norbu, a voter from Radhi Gewog.
“I cannot see properly. As a result, it was difficult to see the image of the candidates on the paper properly. Even after correcting my vision twice, I couldn’t see properly. And it was more difficult for illiterate people like us,” said Sherub Pemo, another voter.
“Had it been in the past, even if we don’t know how to read, the pictures were clear and we could recognize the candidates from their images. It would be good if the images are clear in the future elections,” said Mindu Wangdi, a voter.
Meanwhile, the dzongkhag election officer said using thumbprints to vote will not maintain secrecy as the thumbprint will be visible on the other side of the paper compared to a pen tick.
And they resorted to a black and white image of the candidates as they had to print a huge number of ballot papers compared to the past elections.
More than 1,600 people registered for the mobile voting facility in the district.
Sonam Darjay, Trashigang
Edited by Sonam Pem
