Electoral law amended to invalidate ballots with marks or symbols
Ballots with marks or drawings were previously counted among valid votes.
04 Mar 2019, 9:00 AM
Parliament on Monday passed an amendment to the election law to invalidate ballots that have symbols or drawings other than the check mark next to the candidate’s name.
The bill was passed unanimously with 53 MPs voting in favour.
The legal change comes ahead of parliamentary elections due to take place on April 6. Ballots with marks or scribbles were counted as valid in September’s presidential election.
According to Transparency Maldives, markings on ballots are “the main method of ensuring voters who were coerced or influenced through vote buying vote as pressured.”
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