BATIN — Municipal Council candidates are increasingly using websites and online social networks in a bid to win over voters in elections later this month. These developments are the logical result of the increased use of computers and smart phones, and the rapid spread of news via the Internet, said Muhammad Al-Shaqa, a media man who specializes in using new technology. The low cost of using the Internet and social networking sites also make them popular because they do not cost as much as traditional means of communication such as setting up tents and renting halls to meet voters, Al-Shaqa said. Websites and social networking sites also add some privacy to the relationship between the candidate and voter, he added. Several legal and communication specialists praised the level of maturity and awareness reached by voters and candidates in the poll campaigns. They said voters throughout the Kingdom are no longer attracted by slogans and promises; they sort through candidates' programs and determine who can fulfill their promises within the limits of power given to the Municipal Councils. Breik Al-Qarni, a member of the General Committee for Elections, said regulatory procedures and arrangements for voting day, which falls on Thursday, with voting from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., are proceeding as planned. Voters can vote for one candidate, unlike the previous round, and voting will be held simultaneously throughout the Kingdom, he added. Voters who registered and voted in the first round of municipal elections have the right to vote in this round, Al-Qarni said. Names of those have been deleted from the voters' list who registered to vote in the first round and did not vote, he said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency. Voters will find their names in the voting register at the center where they can also use modern technology to verify their credentials, Al-Qarni said. Voters can check their registered data by visiting www.intekhab.gov.sa or through sending an SMS with their national Identity Card number to 0560303050; the system will respond with a message showing the registered data, he added. According to the electoral commission, more than 1.2 million Saudi men have registered to vote. The Sept. 29 poll was originally scheduled for 2009, but in May of that year, the government extended the existing council's mandate by two years. __
