"To vote is everyone's right, including of inmates, who are still incarcerated in prisons," Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly noted in his written statement received here on Friday.
The minister pointed out that up to 224 million potential voters would participate in the next general election.
"(The potential voters') number is huge, and we must protect their voting rights," he remarked.
Laoly noted that the ministry is currently coordinating with the Population and Civil Records Office to obtain the residents' identity numbers to register inmates that will cast their vote in the 2024 elections.
Residents' identity numbers are required to check whether inmates are registered to vote using other aliases, which potentially complicated the data compiling process, he explained.
Meanwhile, KPU Chairperson Hasyim Asy'ari noted that the residents' data collected by the ministry is important to register inmates, as they are often transferred to other prisons.
The KPU head said that the ministry's assistance will enhance efforts to ensure inmates can avail their right to vote.
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"By utilizing data obtained from the ministry, we can determine (how many) ballot papers (we should send) to match with the number of inmates," Asyari stated.
Asyari explained that if the need arises, the electoral roll data will be updated, and modifications will be performed based on three parameters: comprehensiveness, accuracy, and recentness.
Asy'ari confirmed that the commission is ready to establish a specialized polling station in prison, if required, to facilitate inmates, who will vote in the election.
Moreover, the ministry and the electoral commission will collaborate with the Home Affairs Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry to expedite the election preparation process, he noted.
Apart from assisting the election preparation process for inmates, the special desk will also provide information about political parties, regulation harmonization, and Indonesian voters abroad to the public, the KPU head added.
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Translator: M Zulfikar, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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