REFORMULATING THE FACTUAL VERIFICATION MECHANISM FOR THE EDUCATIONAL DOCUMENTS OF REGIONAL HEAD CANDIDATES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ELECTORAL INTEGRITY IN MALANG CITY

Abstract

In the process of nominating regional heads, every candidate is required to meet administrative criteria, including educational requirements evidenced by a diploma. To this end, the General Elections Commission (KPU) conducts an administrative review of the documents submitted by candidates. In certain instances, the KPU also performs a factual verification directly with educational institutions to confirm the authenticity of a candidate's educational documents. Such a practice occurs, for example, when the KPU verifies the diploma details of a university alumnus running for regional office by visiting the university to confirm the accuracy of the individual's academic records. This phenomenon demonstrates that the verification of educational documents is not merely an administrative task but can also involve factual verification in the field. This study aims to analyze the factual verification mechanism for educational documents—specifically university diplomas—carried out by the Malang City KPU during the regional head nomination process. The research focuses on several aspects: the reasons behind the KPU's factual verification of candidates' diplomas, the timing or stages of verification within the nomination process, and the verification methods employed by the KPU. The study also examines whether factual verification is applied to all candidates, performed only when irregularities are detected, or conducted on a sampling basis as part of the administrative oversight mechanism. An empirical legal research method with a qualitative approach is employed, utilizing interviews with election officials, a review of relevant laws and regulations, and an analysis of the KPU's practices regarding educational document verification. The findings are expected to provide an overview of the factual verification practices for university diplomas during the regional head nomination process and to explain the mechanisms used by the KPU to ensure the authenticity of candidates' educational documents. The targeted output of this research is the publication of a scientific article in a national journal accredited as SINTA 4. Furthermore, this research is expected to contribute to the development of electoral law studies and support the enhancement of research and scientific publication quality at Universitas Wisnuwardhana Malang.