A major change in voting procedure in the 12th general elections will be the use of indelible ink.

According to media reports, the Election Commission (EC) has issued guidebooks to presiding officers regarding this change. However, the only information that has been given to voters through the mass media is that the ink will be applied to the nail of the left index finger and that the mark will last for about two weeks.

The following points have to be addressed or clarified by the EC:

Voters must be informed in advance of the exact stage during the voting process at which the ink would be applied. This is crucial in preventing confusion and to alert the public of the remote possibility of unscrupulous individuals who might try to mark the fingernail of unsuspecting or ill-informed voters with indelible ink pens at any time during the period leading up to the elections.

In fact, it is unclear whether such action is an election offence since no amendment was made to the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations 1981 before the dissolution of Parliament. Indeed, an unsettling report on a similar issue was published in January.

In the event a voter is missing a left index finger of has diseased or deformed nails, where can he/she expect the ink to be applied instead; or whether there are separate arrangements for such voters.

Whether the application of nail polish, varnish, colouring, henna or decorations would disqualify a voter and whether presiding officers have been trained to spot artificial finger nails.

Backup plans for spare ink to be dispatched to polling stations in case of an unexpectedly high voter turnout or accidental spillage or evaporation (the EC's deputy chairman said that the ink is ‘volatile’).

A final demonstration, before the start of the elections, to representatives of all political parties to show that the ink is truly indelible and that its use would be effective.