Election ink explained

Electoral ink, indelible ink, electoral stain or phosphoric ink is a semi-permanent ink or dye that is applied to the forefinger (usually) of voters during elections in order to prevent electoral fraud such as double voting. It is an effective method for countries where identification documents for citizens are not always standardised or institutionalised. One of the more common election ink compositions is based on silver nitrate, which can produce a stain lasting several weeks. It was first used during the 1962 general election in India. The ink was developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), a research institute of CSIR, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India and manufactured by Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd.[1] It is exported to more than 30 countries.[2]

Application

Electoral stain is a practical security feature to prevent double voting in elections. Ink is typically applied to the left-hand thumb, over the nail and finger in a straight line, especially to the cuticle, where it is almost impossible to remove quickly. Ink may be applied in various ways, depending on circumstance and preference. The most common methods are dipping bottles with sponge inserts, bottles with brush applicators, spray bottles, and marker pens.

Composition

Electoral stain typically contains a pigment for instant recognition, a silver nitrate which stains the skin on exposure to ultraviolet light, leaving a mark that is impossible to wash off and is only removed as external skin cells are replaced. Industry-standard electoral inks contain 10%, 14%, or 18% silver nitrate solution, depending on when the mark must be visible. Although usually water-based, electoral stains occasionally contain a solvent such as alcohol to allow for faster drying, primarily when used with dipping bottles, which may include a biocide to ensure bacteria are not transferred from voter to voter. Hydroxides can easily remove silver chloride. Hence, other photosensitive pigmentation needs to be added. Silver nitrate can cause a condition called argyria, although this requires frequent or extreme exposure.

Longevity

Election stain typically stays on skin for 72–96 hours, lasting 2 to 4 weeks on the fingernail and cuticle area. The election ink used puts a permanent mark on the cuticle area, which only disappears with the growth of the new nail. It can take up to 4 months for the stain to be replaced completely by new nail growth. Stains with concentrations of silver nitrate higher than 18% have been found to have no added effect on stain longevity, as silver nitrate does not have a photosensitive reaction with live skin cells. This means that the stain will fade as new skin grows.[3] Silver nitrate is an irritant and is used as a cauterizing agent at concentrations of 25% or higher.[4]

Colour

Electoral stain is traditionally violet in colour before the photosensitive element takes effect to leave a black or brown mark. However, for the 2005 Surinamese legislative election, orange replaced violet as the colour for marking the voters' fingers. It was found to last just as long and be more appealing to voters, as it resembled the national colours.

Efficiency

Marker pens are the most efficient use of ink, with one 5 ml pen able to mark 600 people, although dipping bottles are often preferred, despite a 100 ml bottle only marking 1000. Dipping bottles can leave a more comprehensive stain with slightly greater longevity (depending on silver nitrate content) than markers can. However, marker pens are much cheaper and easier to transport, considerably reducing costs to the election organisers, and the advised option when stains are only needed to be guaranteed for 3 to 5 days. Marker pens also leave a much smaller mark when properly applied, which is more agreeable to many voters.

Controversies

The armed guerrilla Shining Path of Peru has repeatedly threatened to kill those found with indelible ink stains to dissuade from participation in elections.[5] [6]

In the 2004 Afghan presidential election, allegations of electoral fraud arose around the use of indelible ink stains, which many claimed were easily washed off.[7] Election officials had chosen to use the more efficient marker pen option; however, regular marker pens were also sent out to polling stations, which led to confusion and some people being marked with less permanent ink.[8]

In the 2008 Malaysian general election, the election authorities canceled the use of electoral stain a week before voters went to the polls,[9] saying it would be unconstitutional to prevent people from voting even if they had already had their fingers stained. Additionally they cited reports of ink being smuggled in from neighboring Thailand[10] to mark peoples' fingers before they had a chance to vote, thus denying them their rights.

During the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential election, reports surfaced that those who had chosen not to vote were attacked and beaten by government-sponsored mobs. The mobs attacked those without ink on their finger.[11]

During the 2010 Afghan parliamentary election, the Taliban delivered night letters threatening to cut off anybody's finger which was marked with indelible ink.[12]

During the 2013 Malaysian general election, in light of the first-ever implementation of electoral stain, voters reported that the ink could be easily washed off with running water, despite assurances by the Election Commission of Malaysia on the contrary.[13]

International use

Some of the countries that have used election ink at some point include:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2024-03-06 . Lok Sabha elections 2024: Sole supplier of indelible ink says 70% production complete . 2024-04-03 . Hindustan Times . en.
  2. News: Dhillon . Amrit . 2019-03-28 . The ink with a 'secret formula' that powers the world's biggest democratic exercise . 2024-04-03 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  3. Web site: Chemical Safety Database . Ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk . 2014-04-30 . 2008-10-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081011045435/http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/~hmc/hsci/chemicals/silver_nitrate.html . dead .
  4. Web site: 2021-03-10. Silver Nitrate and Wound Care: The Use of Chemical Cauterization. 2021-11-01. WoundSource. en.
  5. News: Toledo-Leyva . Camilo . Ataque de Sendero Luminoso en Perú polariza aún más las elecciones . 22 May 2022 . Deutsche Welle . 2021-05-25 . es-ES . "En temas electorales, Sendero Luminoso siempre ha estado presente desde 1980. En 1985, por ejemplo, sembraban un mayor terror y convocaban a paros armados. Incluso esperaban en los caminos, y a aquel que tuviera el dedo con la tinta indeleble de haber sufragado, les cortaban el dedo”, asegura Yaranga..
  6. News: Sendero Luminoso irrumpe con una bomba en las elecciones presidenciales de Perú . 22 May 2022 . Hoy . 9 April 2006 . es-ES . Incluso algunos pasajeros aseguraron haber recibido amenazas de muerte si los encuentran con tinta indeleble en el dedo anular. .
  7. Scott . Baldauf . An Afghan 'Hanging chad' Dispute . Christian Science Monitor . 12 October 2004 . Csmonitor.com . 2014-04-30.
  8. Web site: Raman . Sunil . India link to Afghan ink stink . BBC News . 2004-10-12 . 2014-04-30.
  9. Web site: MSN News article . News.my.msn.com . 2014-04-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080513080647/http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1274414 . 2008-05-13 .
  10. Web site: Wong . Raphael . Ink Washout - The Star . https://web.archive.org/web/20080430202643/http://www.thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F3%2F5%2Felection2008%2F20540844&sec=Election2008&focus=1 . dead . 2008-04-30 . Thestar.com.my . 2008-03-05 . 2014-04-30 .
  11. Web site: World | Africa | Tsvangirai rejects 'sham' ballot . BBC News . 2008-06-27 . 2014-04-30.
  12. Web site: New Candidates May Win Half of Afghan Parliament Seats Amid Ballot Fraud. Eltaf. Najafizada. James. Rupert. 20 October 2010. Bloomberg.
  13. Web site: Election ink under scrutiny in Malaysia - Asia-Pacific . Al Jazeera English . 2014-04-30.
  14. Web site: Afghanistan election ink safeguard fails detergent test. Jon. Boone. 20 August 2009. the Guardian.
  15. Web site: Taliban, US hold first official talks since Afghanistan takeover . 2024-06-06 . Al Jazeera . en.
  16. Web site: Skopje interested on the indedible ink used by Albania in the elections. www.balkaneu.com. 6 August 2024 .
  17. Web site: An Algerian man, with ink applied on his forefinger, prepares to vote a polling station in the Chanot Park on April 12, 2014 in Marseille, southern France. 12 April 2014 .
  18. Web site: Indelible Ink in Elections. 2019. Anne-Sofie Holm Gerhard, Melika Atic, Panto Letic and Peter Erben. International Foundation for Electoral Systems. 20–22. https://web.archive.org/web/20191108205514/https://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/ifes_gerhard_atic_letic_erben_white_paper_indelible_ink_in_elections_may_2019.pdf. 2019-11-08.
  19. Khmer Times. (2023, July 7). The Ink To Prevent Double Voting. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501320642/video-the-ink-to-prevent-double-voting/
  20. Khmer Times. (2023, July 6). Gov't Spends Nearly $1m On Indelible Ink for National Elections. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501320035/govt-spends-nearly-1m-on-indelible-ink-for-national-elections/
  21. Carmichael, R. (2013, July 27). Cambodia Poll Monitors Report Problem With Indelible Ink. https://www.voanews.com/a/cambodia-poll-monitors-report-problem-with-indelible-ink/1711199.html
    https://web.archive.org/web/20230326221328/https://www.voanews.com/a/cambodia-poll-monitors-report-problem-with-indelible-ink/1711199.html
  22. Web site: Municipales 2016: ¿Por qué ya no se entinta el dedo a la hora de votar? . T13 . 23 October 2016 . 26 June 2023 . es .
  23. Web site: Egypt elections in pictures. 24 May 2012. www.telegraph.co.uk.
  24. Web site: Indian elections: voters united by anti-fraud ink mark. Anu. Anand. 17 April 2014. the Guardian.
  25. Web site: Key facts: the Indonesian Legislative Election. 8 April 2014.
  26. News: As Iraq moves on with vote, Falluja trapped by sins of the past. 2018-05-13. The Indian Express. 2018-05-17. en-US.
  27. News: Sunni hawk wins Lebanon vote, risking new tensions. Tom. Perry. Reuters. 30 May 2016.
  28. Web site: Remove Election Ink From Finger After Voting. www.miricitysharing.com. 7 May 2016.
  29. Web site: Ahead of GE14, EC orders 100,000 bottles of indelible ink from India - Malay Mail. www.malaymail.com.
  30. Web site: UNDP Provided Indelible Ink in Myanmar Elections: A Powerful Integrity Tool. UNDP in Myanmar. 2016-06-23. 2019-03-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20190330125121/http://www.mm.undp.org/content/myanmar/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2015/11/25/undp-provided-indelible-ink-in-myanmar-elections-a-powerful-integrity-tool-.html. dead.
  31. Web site: Observing Nepal's 2013 Constituent Assembly Election - Election Standards at The Carter Center. electionstandards.cartercenter.org. 26 December 2014 .
  32. Web site: Nicaragua election observers report problems - CBC News.
  33. Web site: Election fraud: The curious case of magnetic ink - The Express Tribune. 10 October 2013.
  34. Web site: Living in Peru » News » Congress eliminates use of ink in Peruvian elections . 2016-06-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160816071944/http://archive.peruthisweek.com/news-14726-politics-congress-eliminates-use-ink-peruvian-elections . 2016-08-16 . dead .
  35. Web site: Tinta indeleble se utilizará por última vez en elecciones municipales complementarias de mañana . 2021-03-20 . Agencia Andina de Noticias . 2 July 2011 . andina.pe . es.
  36. News: Hardliner claims Philippine election win. BBC News. 9 May 2016.
  37. Web site: Final report of the OAS electoral observation mission . Secretariat for Political Affairs. 2023-02-16.
  38. Web site: "Solomon Islands Electoral Act 2018 .
  39. Web site: A South African woman gets ink on her fi. 22 April 2009 .
  40. Web site: Sri Lankan Voters Go To The Polls. 2 April 2004 .
  41. Web site: Sudan voting extended; ink washing off voters' fingers | Radio Tamazuj . 2016-05-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160602205553/https://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/sudan-voting-extended-ink-washing-voters-fingers . 2016-06-02 . dead .
  42. Web site: Syria holds parliamentary polls in regime-held areas. The Times of Israel.
  43. News: Tunisia veteran claims election win. BBC News. 22 December 2014.
  44. Web site: The brief history of elections in Turkey. Daily Sabah. 30 October 2015.
  45. News: Venezuela's Socialists trounced in vote. BBC News. 7 December 2015.
  46. News: CNE anunció que no usará tinta indeleble para la elección de la ANC. 10 July 2017. 27 May 2018. El Nacional. https://web.archive.org/web/20180527201724/http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/politica/cne-anuncio-que-usara-tinta-indeleble-para-eleccion-anc_192284. 27 May 2018. dead.
  47. Web site: Indelible ink: The mark of democracy . 25 January 2023 .

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