Ballot paper is paramount. [File Photo]

The secrecy of the ballot paper is paramount.

Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem says a ballot paper is not a receipt.

“A receipt is where you need to be able to trace back to the person who made the payment. In the election world, it’s a completely opposite situation where the secrecy of the ballot is paramount. You should not be able to trace a ballot paper back to the person who marked it. “

The FEO says Fijians need to be careful about some of these quick-fix solutions that are being proposed by some political parties.

They’ve also stated that if a voter writes their name on the ballot paper and indicates a number, they have voted for that ballot paper, which by operation of the law is declared invalid.

Saneem says the Fijian Constitution is the supreme law and it says that voters have the right to secrecy on the ballot.

He adds that any suggestions that would compromise the secrecy of the ballot will not be entertained.

The FEO has assured voters that as the country prepares for the general elections, Fijian voters will have full secrecy of the ballot because there will be nothing on the ballot paper that will tie them to that ballot paper.