On October, 3, Peruvians went to the polls to cast their vote for the municipal elections. I decided to volunteer for Transparency International, as an "observadora." I was surprised at how well the volunteers were treated at their sites. The policeman and the coordinator of the voting site were both very keen to make sure that I was well attended. My job was to observe the site and report any suspicious activity. I also was required to fill out three surveys, which were used as a sample.
The voting site was supposed to open at 9am, but did not open until 9:30am (Peruvian time, nothing unusual). There was a steady stream of voters throughout he day, and the polls closed at 4pm. Voting is obligatory in Peru. While there are ups and downs to obligatory voting, one upside is that I definitely noticed more people take an active interest in the election; it is treated like a holiday. People travel from all parts of the country to vote on this day, but also treat it as an excuse to visit family and friends.
The most contested race was for mayor of Lima, between Susana Villaran and Lourdes Flores. While Susana Villaran has had a steady lead for the past month, they election results have them being 1% apart from one another. They are supposed to announce the official winner today.
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