Jakarta. The General Election Commission (KPU) announced on Friday that 35 election officials have died before, during, and after the voting day on Feb. 14 nationwide.

Additionally, approximately 3,900 election officials fell ill amid the demanding responsibilities, which included data collection, distributing voter invitations, preparing election logistics, organizing voting at polling stations, counting votes, documenting results, and transmitting them to the central database.

On election day, the work began at 7 a.m. and, in most cases, lasted until after midnight to count votes and verify tallies for presidential and parliamentary candidates.

With over 820,000 polling stations nationwide, each employing at least five officials, the KPU enlisted more than 5 million volunteers to manage polling stations in every neighborhood.

KPU Chairman Hasyim Asy'ari said Central Java and East Java each reported seven deaths, West Java had six casualties, while Jakarta and South Sulawesi each recorded two deaths. The remaining death toll occurred in 11 other provinces.

The Health Ministry attributed comorbid conditions and fatigue as the primary factors behind the death toll. Heart attacks, hypertension, and acute respiratory distress syndrome were the common causes of most of the deaths.

In addition to health-related causes, four election officials lost their lives in traffic accidents.

However, the latest election-related death toll is significantly lower compared to five years ago when nearly 900 election officials passed away.

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