By : Sabrina Aulia )*
The schedule for the 2024 simultaneous Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) is stated in KPU Regulation Number 2 of 2024 concerning Stages and Schedules for the Election of Governors and Deputy Governors, Regent and Deputy Regent, as well as Mayor and Deputy Mayor in 2024. Based on this letter, the simultaneous Pilkada voting this year is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.
As an effort to ensure successful implementation, community support for the Voter Data Updating Committee (Pantarlih) is one of the most crucial first steps. Pantarlih has a vital role in ensuring that the voter data used is accurate and reliable, so that the implementation of the regional elections can run well and according to expectations.
Pantarlih is responsible for updating voter data, which includes verifying and validating voter data, including ensuring that voters who no longer meet the requirements or no longer reside in an area are not included in the final voter list (DPT). Apart from that, Pantarlih also ensures that new voters or voters who have just changed domicile are registered correctly.
This process is very important to avoid problems that often occurred in previous elections, such as duplicate voter data, unregistered voters, or deceased voters still recorded in the DPT. Thus, Pantarlih’s success in carrying out its duties will greatly influence the quality and credibility of the Regional Elections.
To support Pantarlih in carrying out its duties, active participation from the community is very necessary. Deputy Mayor of Depok, Imam Budi Hartono invited the people of Depok to be willing to carry out matching and research (coklit) of voter data ahead of the simultaneous regional elections in 2024.
The importance of citizen participation is emphasized to ensure accurate voter data and to encourage all communities to accept voter data updating officers or election supervisors, who come to their homes.
It is known that the Depok City General Election Commission (KPU) has deployed 5,358 Voter Data Update Officers (Pantarlih) to start the process of checking voter data in the 2024 Pilkada.
This activity started on Tuesday, June 25 2024, with religious figures, the community, and public officials and artists as initial targets for coklit, such as Deputy Mayor of Depok Imam Budi Hartono, artists Fanny Fadilah or Ucup Bajaj Bajur, community figure H. Yahman Setiawan, and religious figure KH. Mochtar Syarih.
Deputy Mayor of Depok, Imam Budi Hartono hopes that, with the active participation of residents in the coklit process, the voter data produced will be more accurate and can improve the quality of the 2024 Depok Regional Election. Apart from that, his party also reminded residents to ensure they have registered as voters and are ready to vote. his vote in the simultaneous regional elections on November 27 2024.
Member of the General Election Commission (KPU), Betty Epsilon Idroos reminded that the time for the regional elections is getting closer. In response to this, regarding updating voter data, the KPU has produced implementing provisions as guidelines for the work of updating voter data. The KPU will also use information technology whose useful functions will continue to be improved.
PKPU has arrived and the hat trick number is PKPU 7 of 2024. And we hope that during the regional elections there will be no further changes to PKPU and we can fight for several article clause items that need to be followed up. Examples of several clause items that need follow-up include the mention of 3 types of voter data, namely DPT, DPTb and DPK. As well as the mention of Pantarlih in the Pilkada, which is usually PPDP.
Member of the Riau Province KPU, Abdul Rahman, said that the Coklit Bersama activity in the border area was to anticipate the emergence of conflicts and legal problems related to voter data in the two regions.
Coklit together involved the Pekanbaru City KPU and the Kampar Regency KPU, then witnessed by Bawaslu, Pekanbaru City Government represented by Assistant 1, Kesbangpol, related sub-district heads and village heads, TNI and Polri.
Community support for Pantarlih in preparing for the 2024 regional elections has begun to be seen in various regions. In several regions, the level of public participation in updating voter data shows an increasing trend. For example, in Central Java, public participation in the voter data verification process reached 85% in early 2024, a significant increase compared to the previous regional elections.
Many community organizations and volunteer groups have helped with outreach and education regarding the importance of updating voter data. This organization not only disseminates information, but also helps the community in taking care of the necessary population administration.
Local governments in several regions also actively support Pantarlih activities by providing the necessary facilities and resources. For example, in South Sulawesi, the regional government provides posts for updating voter data in various strategic places to make things easier for the public.
The use of technology in the process of updating voter data is also starting to be implemented. Web and mobile-based applications that make it easier for people to verify data independently have been launched in several regions. In Yogyakarta, this application succeeded in attracting more than 50,000 voters who updated their data independently.
Community support for Pantarlih is a very important first step in making the 2024 Pilkada a success. Active community participation in updating voter data will ensure that the DPT used in the Pilkada is accurate and reliable. Even though there are still challenges that must be faced, with good cooperation between Pantarlih, the government and the community, it is hoped that the 2024 Pilkada can run successfully and democratically. Community support is not just an obligation, but also a form of active participation in determining the future of the region.
)* The author is a political observer