AJMAN // It was a busy day at polling stations on Wednesday as voters took advantage of the last day of early voting.
Many were able to cast their ballots in just five minutes, leaving them pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of the system.
“The voting process was great and easy,” said voter Ali Bahlooq.
The 35-year-old said he voted for Khaleed Al Reyaysa, a candidate he believed cared greatly for his country and its citizens.
“He serves Ajman’s citizens and he has a future vision to provide a comfortable life for Emiratis,” Mr Bahlooq said.
Hamad Mohammed, a government employee, had clocked off early from work to get his vote in.
“I usually leave work at 6pm, so I chose today to come and so I left work early,” the 28-year-old said. “It just took few minutes.”
In Umm Al Quwain, voters were also pleased with the system.
Sawsan Ali, an employee for the UAQ traffic department, said the voting centre staff were helpful and welcoming.
“Everything was easy. The reception was excellent and they told me directly about the voting place, how to vote and what to do if I made a mistake,” she said.
The 33-year-old voted for a candidate she knew personally.
“I didn’t choose this person because [of that] but because this person is well-known, efficient and deserves to represent UAQ.”
Ahmed Al Zaabi said there had been many improvements to the process since 2011.
“This is my second time to vote and there have been developments in the procedures, in terms of technology, speed and the number of computers.”
Rashid Al Alelee, 31, an organiser at the UAQ voting centre, said that more people attended in the afternoon.
He said that staff had been working extra hard to make sure the process ran smoothly.
“We are happy when we see voters coming and leaving with excitement and a smile on their faces,” he said.
Meanwhile, Khalid Al Dhabhani of the Fujairah elections committee said the process there went very smoothly, with a continuous influx of voters who seemed happy with the ease of the process.
roueiti@thenational.ae