The Electoral Commission clarified on Tuesday that the mechanism of voting will be via biometric and short-term cards, and while it settled the controversy over the possibility of extending the voting timeframe, it set a condition for receiving complaints.

The Director of Procedures and Training at the Commission, Daoud Salman Khudair, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that voting on the polling day will be restricted to the holders of biometric and short-term cards, as per the electoral law. 

He added that voters must bring one form of identification, such as citizenship, citizenship certificate, or the unified national card, noting that voting begins at 7 am and ends at 6 pm with no extensions. 

What does the process include?

Khudair stressed that voters enter polling stations based on their biometric or short-term card, stressing the need for a triple match between the live fingerprint, the fingerprint stored in the card, and the fingerprint stored in the verification device. 

He continued that after the triple matching, the second step is to read the ballot paper's barcode, then go to the polling booth for the purpose of selecting the candidate, and then to the results accelerator device for the purpose of casting the vote.

Khudair explained that the short-term card requires the voter's ten fingerprints, after which the card is retrieved and disposed of, before the voter is given a receipt to conduct a biometric registration process and is provided with a biometric card.

Regarding the buying and selling of electoral cards, Khudair stressed that such a deal is a failed attempt because no one can make use of the voter's card except the cardholder himself, noting that "the three-way match and the ten fingerprints of the voter for the purpose of matching are guarantees of the integrity of the elections."

He continued, "We are very confident that the voter will not be able to vote without his personal card."

Complaints and regulations

Regarding complaints submitted to the Commission, Khudair stated that the Consultation and Complaints Division of the Independent High Electoral Commission receives all complaints from all voters, candidates, and even the media, provided that there is evidence.

Khudair stressed that measures were taken by the Commission against some candidates and some voters, due to complaints it had received, noting that these complaints were legitimate and coupled with evidence that prove the crime committed by the candidate or voter.