Melaka polls: EC targets 70 per cent voter turnout

JASIN: The Election Commission is targeting a 70 per cent voter turnout in the Melaka election tomorrow.

Its deputy chairman Dr Azmi Sharom said the commission hoped the public would show keen interest in voting, given that this was a state election rather than a by-election.

He also advised voters to cast their ballots early to avoid any inconvenience, particularly with rain forecast in some areas tomorrow.

"Voters are advised to come early or bring an umbrella in case it rains.

"Even if it rains, I hope the public will still turn out to vote, as that is what matters most," he told reporters after inspecting polling preparations at Dewan Platinum, Politeknik Melaka, for the Merlimau constituency here today.

On other matters, Azmi said the EC would continue using the Optical Character Recognition-Voter Attendance (OCR-VA) system to collect and display voter attendance data in real time.

He said the system allowed the public, political analysts and other interested parties to obtain the latest information on the number of voters who had turned up at polling centres.

"This system allows voter attendance data to be obtained in real time, and the public can visit the EC website to check the number of voters who have turned out.

"The information is useful not only to the EC but also to political analysts and other interested parties.

"Previously, voter turnout figures were updated hourly, but this system allows the information to be accessed in real time," he said.

He said election workers had so far adapted well to the system, which he described as user-friendly and relatively straightforward.

Azmi said the use of OCR-VA would not have a significant impact on the time taken to vote or compromise the secrecy of voters' ballots.

"We will continue using it as part of efforts to modernise the country's voting system.

"I also believe the system does not compromise ballot secrecy in any way or have a significant impact on the time voters take to cast their ballots," he said.

He also reminded voters to check their polling centres and voting streams through MySPR before heading out to vote tomorrow.

He said checking the details in advance would help voters complete the process more smoothly upon arrival at their polling centres and avoid confusion over where they should cast their ballots.

Voters without internet access can check their details at counters provided at polling centres.