In June 2014, Indonesia held presidential elections to replace term-limited incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. I was a teacher for a study tour on election standards that observed this election in Jakarta. Elections in Indonesia are a remarkable spectacle. Voting stops at 12:00 noon. While this would seem disastrous in most countries, it proved more than sufficient in such a well-run election. Votes were counted in the open and each polling station became a small community celebration watching the counting process. Of course, this was all in the capital of Jakarata; the process was probably not nearly as smooth in other areas of the country such as Ache.
The mood in Jakarta was festive. Their mayor, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, won the election. Not only did Jakarta love their mayor, but they saw it as a turning point for the new democracy as he became the first president without any ties to the autocratic Suharto regime.
A woman dips her finger in indelible ink after voting. A common method in many countries (as well as being one of the most symbolic) this practice is one available mechanism for preventing double voting. It is especially useful if a country lacks a reliable voter registry.
The media films the vote counting, which took place outside.
A voter checks the board with the voter registry and candidate information.
