Two types of polling stations

in «Politics & Human Rights» by moftasa

Warning! This post is very old and may contain information or opinions that are no longer valid or embarrassing.

I was told the following by a judge who was in charge of one of the polling stations in Cairo. And what he said probably explains why Orientalism didn't manage to cast a vote with his national ID only while Mohammed did.

There were two types of polling stations one monitored by judges and only people listed and have a voting card are allowed to vote. And another called a "Moghtarebeen" stations, they are special stations made for people who are coming from cities other than Cairo. Those stations are not monitored by judges. And it is assumed that the people voting don't have a voting card.

He was given all the details and instructions not before the opening of the polls. But early in the morning at the time of opening.

He also blames the Interior Ministry for creating lots of confusion in the process.

The Interior Ministry didn't provide the three civilian monitors who would sit down and monitor the elections. Some judges refused to open the stations till the interior ministry would provide those civilians, in one it was delayed till 6pm. Other judges recruited from the people casting their vote.

In the station monitored by this judge. Only 13 people turned out to vote from the people listed. At one moment 400 individuals showed up who wanted to cast their vote but he turned them away as they didn't have their names on the lists nor a voting card. Those 400 went to the Moghtarebeen stations.

He says that in the Moghtarebeen stations there was no judges to control the process and it was a total mess there.

At 7 pm, the time when voting ends. There was no seal for the ballot boxes to be closed with. They transferred the boxes to the place they should count the votes. The opening of the boxes were secured by sticky tape. He opened the boxes and counted them then wrote a report about the whole thing and went home.

UPDATE: Only main polling stations had judges. There were smaller stations without judges. But the Moghtarbeen are the only ones were you are allowed to vote with the national ID.