District Election Committee Involved in Polling Station Mapping in West Pasaman

West Pasaman Bawaslu representative Benny Aziz testifying at the examination hearing for Case No. 36/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025, Tuesday (1/21/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

JAKARTA (MKRI) – The West Pasaman Election Commission (KPU) involved the district election committees (PPK) across the region in the process of mapping polling stations (TPS). The mapping began with a working meeting on polling station allocation, attended by PPK members responsible for voter data. Following the finalization of the final voter list (DPT), the mapping process determined a total of 876 polling stations for the West Pasaman regent election.

This statement was delivered by the Respondent’s legal counsel, Moch. Ainul Yaqin, during the examination hearing on the 2024 West Pasaman regent election results dispute, held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. The hearing aimed to hear testimonies from the Respondent, the Relevant Party, and Bawaslu. It was presided over by Chief Justice Suhartoyo (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and M. Guntur Hamzah in one of the courtrooms of the Constitutional Court.

Furthermore, the Respondent addressed the petition of Candidate Pair 03 Hamsuardi and Kusnadi Dt. Rajo Batuah (Petitioners), explaining that following the mapping, the voter list was updated through coordination with various local authorities, including the West Pasaman Bawaslu, the Population and Civil Registry Office of West Pasaman, the Head of Community and Village Empowerment Office of West Pasaman, district heads, village heads, and the district election committee (PPK).

"After matching and research, the Respondent added regular polling stations and specific locations based on the needs proposed by the PPK and PPS (polling committee) and requested by the Talu Correctional Institution and PT Agrowiratama. Therefore, 15 regular polling stations were added and spread across five districts, along with additional polling stations at the Talu Detention Center and PT Agrowiratama," explained Ainul in response to one of the arguments.

Also read:

Distant Polling Stations a Reason for West Pasaman Election Dispute

At the preliminary examination hearing on Friday, January 10, 2025, the Petitioners requested an annulment of the West Pasaman KPU Decree No. 1275 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 regent election results. They mentioned the vote acquisitions were as follows: Candidate Pair 01 Yulianto-M.Ihpan with 59,551 votes, Candidate Pair 02 Daliyus K-Heri Miheldi with 57,121 votes, Candidate Pair 03 (Petitioners) with 50,792 votes, and Candidate Pair 04 Jailani-Syamsul Bahri with 15,526 votes, amounting to a total of 182,990 votes.

The Petitioners’ vote acquisition was impacted by the Respondent’s (KPU) error in districting the polling stations in West Pasaman Regency, resulting in low voter turnout at the regent election. The Petitioners calculated that out of 311,171 listed in the final voters list, only 182,991 exercised their rights to vote. In other words, 35 percent of voters could not or would not exercise their rights due to distant polling stations. These errors took place in many regions, such as Sungai Aur, Sungai Meremas, Kinali, Luhak Nan Duo. Talamau, Ranah Pasisia, Gunung Tuleh, Lembanh Malintang, Koto Balingka, and Ranah Batahan Districts. For the reasons above, the Petitioners requested that the Court instruct the West Pasaman KPU to carry out a revote for the 2024 West Pasaman regent election at all of the polling stations across the regency.

News

District Election Committee Involved in Polling Station Mapping in West Pasaman