Indonesians wrestle with voting choices, giant ballot papers

An Indonesian electoral worker prepares ballot in the boxes to be distributed to polling stations in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. The world’s third-largest democracy is gearing up to hold its legislative and presidential elections on April 17. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

JAKARTA, Indonesia – When Indonesians vote in presidential and legislative elections next week, they’ll be wrestling with choices affecting their country’s future, and ballot papers as big as giant posters.

The super-sized documents, some too big to fit unfolded inside the voting booths, are causing complaints as well as worries that elderly voters will struggle with them.

The voting paper for the Senate covered more than half the body of a woman who held it up at a polling simulation exercise held by the election commission on Wednesday.

A Jakarta woman, Siti Nuria, said, “Why can’t this vote be made simpler? It will be very troublesome for the elderly to vote and in folding them back up.” /gsg