GE13: However you clean, some ink will still be visible, says EC

The Election Commission has again given the assurance that the indelible ink to be marked on the finger of voters this Sunday cannot be completely washed off.
No matter how hard one tries to remove the stain on their finger, there will still be a bit visible on the skin, said deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.
“I am confident it is not possible to wash off the ink stain 100%. The ink is made of silver nitrate. Maybe one can scrape off the ink on their fingernail but the skin around the nail will still show a bit of ink,” he told reporters.
“Clerks at the polling centres are equipped with magnifying glasses and they will check all the fingers of the voter before allowing the person to vote,” he added.
Even if someone managed to remove the ink, he said, it would still be impossible for that person to vote twice because the electoral roll would show that the person had already voted.
“Once a person votes, the name will be struck off the electoral roll. So there is no way anyone can vote twice,” said Wan Ahmad who was here to oversee the advanced voting process.
He was responding to claims over the internet that some early voters could wash off the ink from their finger.
Wan Ahmad said he observed that some voters had tried to clean their fingers with tissue paper immediately after the ink was applied.
“This may wipe off some of the ink because it is not completely dried. I propose that on May 5, the EC will not provide tissue paper at the polling centres,” he said.