It did not cross my mind that some people did not know that in Belize dipping your finger in ink was part of the voting process. Having only experienced the election/voting process in Belize, this was just normal to me. Why are all index fingers purple? This is how we vote in Belize.
After I posted and shared the article on General Elections in Belize an American citizen’s comment made me realize that not every country does this. After doing some research I found out some interesting facts about Electoral Ink. Yes there is a special ink made for the voting process.
Did you know:
* Electoral Ink is a semi-permanent ink that is applied to the forefinger of voters during elections in order to prevent electoral fraud such as double voting.
* The ink is specially formulated to safely leave a permanent stain within the cuticle around the finger tip and the fingernail
* It cannot be easily removed for up to seven days
* Electoral Ink is usually purple
* Excellent resistance to water, solvents & bleaching agents
* election ink remains skin friendly and safe for children (most of the time)
* Electoral Ink came about during the first election of the India when the election commission faced one of their biggest issues: identification theft.
But the BIGGEST issue with Electoral Ink is: HOW TO TAKE IT OFF!! It’s a challenge, problem, issue and hassle every time elections come along. After people vote, they are looking at how quickly they can remove the unsightly purple mark on their finger. This is not necessarily because they want to vote again or commit identification theft. LOL! People just want to remove the ugly mark, although I have seen others intentionally leaving it for days just to show off that they have voted (first-time voter).
Here are some products that you can use to remove the electoral ink from your finger. They might not work 100%, or you might have to use two or more of the products, but they do work to somewhat remove that “purple finger” of yours. Just be careful if you are allergic to any of the products before you use them.
Don’t be afraid of the Purple Ink – Remember that your vote is important to make a difference in your country. #Vote #VoteWisely #VoteSmart #CountryBeforeAnyParty
