El Salvador’s presidential elections process in 2009 was
complicated. To vote, a citizen had to
first travel to the locale of their permanent address, as noted on their
national identity card, or DUI (Documento Único de Identidad). One must then report to the corresponding
voting center, locate their DUI photo on a large cardboard placard, and present
their DUI to the volunteer staff. After
several signatures, the ballot is presented and the voter passes to the private
voting booth, votes, and folds their ballot in half and places it in the ballot
box. The voter then returns to the
volunteers, signs another registry, and also places their thumbprint by their
signature. The process is complete.
There are many changes in store for this year’s deputy and
mayoral elections. Nine provinces will
utilize a new process, the Residential Vote, while the other five will continue
using what is termed the Traditional Vote, the process used in the last
elections in 2009. The Residential Vote
requires citizens to vote in centers close to their homes, rather than travel
at great distances. The hope is that
this will cut down on possible voter fraud, as neighbors will vote with
neighbors. Before this type of voting
system was implemented, there were general accusations that Guatemalans and
other Central Americans were brought in by certain political parties and given
false DUI cards in order to increase that party’s winnings.
The largest doubt, however, besides voter fraud or violence,
lies in how to mark one’s ballot. In San
Salvador alone there are 192 candidates for the Legislative Assembly,
ultimately vying for 24 seats. An
example of the ballot for San Salvador, shown on national news programs,
appears to be the size of a standard newspaper page, with each of the nine
political parties able to list a maximum of 24 candidates for the Legislative
Assembly. This uncertainty has many
citizens on edge, and why wouldn’t it, when there are also four different ways
to mark one’s ballot. That which brings
the most confusion is the difference between marking the political party’s
flag, and marking the photo of that party’s candidate, or marking the flag and
the candidate. For which candidate does
the vote count if one only marks the political party’s flag? Logically, marking the candidate’s photo
gives them a preferential vote, but with 24 candidates per political party in
San Salvador, and nine parties in total, it gets confusing.
What will happen?
Will the residential voting system be a step forward, or will El
Salvador revert back to the traditional system for the next elections? Will voters be so confused by the seemingly
infinite number of ways to mark their ballots that many votes will be
nullified? The next few days will tell.
