Ballot paper shortage in northern Botswana
Onalenna Kelebeile | Monday October 20, 2014 17:11
This led to some voters in Selebi-Phikwe casting their ballots for members of parliament while others chose to wait until the arrival of the new ballot papers through the chopper. Disappointments were evident in the faces of candidates across all political parties after they learnt about the situation.
While some voters dispersed after announcement that ballot papers have run out others patiently waited. Affected wards in Selebi-Phikwe were Hospital and Ikageleng Phase 1.
Returning Officer in Selebi East Orapeleng Modimoopelo said the challenge they experienced is like unlike in the general elections they did not have the exact number of voters but only estimates.
“We immediately informed the IEC head office when we learnt that the ballot papers for councillors have run out and they acted swiftly to dispatch the ballot papers for the elections to continue.
We informed voters to patiently wait until afternoon when the ballot papers arrived. Those who wanted to vote for the MPs only were at liberty to do so but we encourage them to wait and vote for councilors and MPs,” he said.
Modimoopelo said though they were supposed to close the polling station at 6pm they waited for all who were at the polling station to vote. “If ballot would not arrive by 6pm then we will get advice from the IEC. We even informed the candidates about the situation and they were not impressed,” he said.
Returning Officer in Selebi-Phikwe West Poloko Mojalemotho said that the chopper had already left Gaborone to deliver the papers after they ran out around 1230pm. “Some voters went ahead to vote for MPs only. It is their choice and the law does not deter them from doing so. We were happy with the conduct of voters after we informed them that ballot papers have run out.
The solution would be to look at the allocation of staff to polling stations to bring them close to where they registered so that they can manage to vote during the general elections,” he said.
Ballot papers arrived around 5 pm and voting continued without much challenges in both polling districts.
Mojalemotho said the only challenge was that some voters did not carry the letters that proves that they were illegible to vote during advance voting hence they could not vote.
In Bobonong’s Dandane/Mabeleng polling district ballot papers did not arrive at all after the initial books ran out hence 12 voters failed to cast their vote. Principal Elections Officer Segopotso Sakwape confirmed that it was agreed that the remaining officers will vote during the general elections.
IEC Principal Public Relations Officer Osupile Maroba said the situation resulted from the fact that by the time his office had already dispatched ballot papers new entrants were received while others withdrew. He added that as a result by the time they did final distribution not all the names of polling staff would have arrived.
“We received deployment of polling staff when we had already distributed the ballot papers. Arrangement would be made for those who did not vote to do so during the general elections.
We always have contingency plans especially during advance voting and we are happy that the situation was put under control well on time,” he said.
He highlighted that it was for the first time that the polling staff voted for councilors as that was never done in the past elections. “The concern by candidates was understandable and I hope that they understand that we have to work together in such situations,” he said.