Today’s regional elections taking place in Indonesia are serious business, not only determining the future leaders of 171 regions throughout the country but also possibly setting up the odds for next year’s presidential and national elections.
But the serious business of voting got seriously spooky (or seriously silly, depending on your perspective) at one polling station (TPS) in the city of Semarang, Central Java.
https://www.facebook.com/bambang.budiono.5/posts/10215088953833023
Not an old post from Halloween, those photos and video taken today show a horror-themed TPS in Semarang’s Randusari Village featuring creepy decor and polling attendants dressed up like undead creatures such as the terrifying kuntilanak and the hopping horrifying pocong.
The decision to turn this TPS into a polling station of horrors is not totally random. In fact, it’s quite appropriate given that it is located right by what used to be a local cemetery.
Rather than trying to scare voters away, local officials say the horror theme was an initiative by people in the neighborhood meant to attract more citizens to come out to cast their ballots. And it was locals who paid for the decorations and costumes, rather than the government which only gives funds to cover basic polling station needs.
It was not, however, the only themed polling station taking part in today’s elections. Another TPS in Kupang made the news for its timely World Cup theme.
The idea of creatively themed polling stations aimed at getting more citizens to come out and vote seems like a great one. Perhaps we’ll be seeing even more ghosts at the poll next year.
