THE cost of the total ballot papers for the 2018 General Election is not over $200,000, says Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem during a media tour of a factory in Suva where the papers are printed.
The printing of ballot papers began on Wednesday night in the presence of political party agents, the Multinational Observer Group and police officers. A total of 764,850 ballot papers will be printed for the November 14 election.
Mr Saneem said they had concluded the printing of 20,000 postal ballot papers.
“Pre-poll and Election Day ballot papers will be printed thereafter,” he said.
“The FEO will print 92,400 ballot papers for pre-poll and 652,450 ballot papers for election day.
“The total contingency that is being printed amounts to 115,118 ballot papers. That is the extra numbers.”
Mr Saneem said the FEO was now waiting for the printing of the voter instruction booklets to be distributed before they started packing the postal ballot papers for dispatch.
The candidate numbers that were drawn yesterday are part of the voter instruction booklet that would commence printing this afternoon, said Mr Saneem.
“We wish to conclude the first round of printing of postal ballots as well as for pre-poll areas as early as possible so that we can dispatch out of the office for those who have already been approved.”
With pre-poll to begin on November 5, Mr Saneem said the FEO would begin the official dispatch of pre-poll ballot papers on November 3.
