With Their Ballot Boxes Moved, Voters Take to Roads

Click to read the article in Turkish

Upon the request of 19 governorships, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) ruled that the ballot boxes in the related provinces shall be moved.

With this ruling of the YSK put into effect, some voters took to the roads to cast their votes today (June 24).

While some citizens went to the villages where they were supposed to cast their votes last evening, there were also some people who took to the roods early in the morning.

While many people went to the polling stations by their own vehicles, the voters who do not have their own cars went to the stations on foot.

"There was no need for the transfer of ballot boxes"

The ballot boxes of 200 voters living in the villages of Oğul, Ceylanlı, Ağaçdibi and Çimenli in Turkey's southeastern province of Hakkari have been moved to a primary school in the village of Üzümcü.

Speaking about the transfer of their ballot boxes to another village, one of the villagers, Şakir Adıyaman said, 

"For years, we were voting in our own villages. This year, our ballot boxes have been moved here. There was no need to bring them this far. We are covering a distance of almost 20 kilometers. Our roads are not in a good condition. It has been very problematic for us, but we still have to vote."

"We have come from a distance of 30 kilometers"

While another voter, Hasan Ege, whose ballot box has been transferred to another village, said that they had to cover a distance of 30 kilometers to be able to cast their votes, Zübeyir Didin from the village of Ceylanlı said,

"After casting our votes here, we have to walk another 25 kilometers in this hot weather to reach our house. But, we had to do this to cast our votes."

Voters in Van: "We would go anywhere"

The ones who live in the district of Özalp in Turkey's eastern province of Van and whose ballot boxes have been transferred to another neighborhood also took to the roads in the early morning to be able to vote.

As reported by Jin News, Ayşe Naya from the neighborhood of Oymaklı said,

"We would go anywhere to cast our votes, let alone a place at a distance of 2 kilometers. We will vote so that this cruelty can come to an end."

HDP provides transportation for voters in Şırnak

The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Şırnak Provincial Organization has been providing transportation to the voters in the province of Şırnak, where 51 ballot boxes in 40 residential areas have been moved. (EKN/SD)

* Sources: Mezopotamya Agency, Jin News, Roj24