Updated 5.03pm
The Nationalist Party delegates to the Electoral Commission who agreed that voting documents would not be laminated were not expecting ink that could smudge so easily, deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami told Times of Malta.
He explained that the commission was caught on one foot when the snap election was called, and since the laminating machine was out of order, it was decided to rely on other security features in order to be able to prepare them in time.
READ: Voting document security features up to scratch, says Commission
But the PN was aghast when it saw just how flimsy they were, with Dr Fenech Adami saying he would not be surprised if people found that their voting documents were accidentally scratched even in their wallets or handbags.
Although he did not indicate any concern about voting documents being deliberately defaced before they were delivered to the voters, he said there were vulnerable people – those in hospital and homes for the elderly, for example – whose voting documents could easily be tampered with.
"Of course, this would be noticed as soon as they went to vote, but by then it would be too late," he said.
Addressing a press conference later in the day, Dr Fenech Adami said he had already started to hear reports from police officers of documents being smudged and their fingers turning black with ink.
Voters started receiving their documents at home today, with police officers and party agents going door-to-door.
The design on the back of the documents, Dr Fenech Adami said, could also be easily smudged.
“The situation could get worse in the coming days,” he warned.
Dr Fenech Adami urged voters to ensure their documents were untouched and in perfect condition before accepting them, to keep them in a safe place, and to ask for a new one if theirs did not seem right.
Dr Fenech Adami said that party agents will this year have a list of voters with their photos at voting stations, saying this was “a measure that tries to solve the problem, but doesn’t”.
Voters, he said, must ensure that their voting inform is clearly displayed on the documents and not smudged.
Additional reporting by Ivan Martin.