BN faces challenge of ‘Undi18’, automatic voter registration, says Melaka CM

The automatic voter registration system and the eligibility of young voters under “Undi18” is expected to pose a challenge for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming Melaka polls, according to chief minister Ab Rauf Yusoh.

He said the coalition needs to strengthen its machinery and change its strategy to engage these new voters, moving beyond its reliance on traditional methods, to ensure that support for the party is maintained, Bernama reported.

“In the past, we could register voters, collect their names, and keep them in our own ‘basket. We could gauge whether we would win if we contested in a particular area.

“However, with the inclusion of new voters which encompasses not only those aged 18 to 20 but also all adults who had never voted before, the situation changed,” he was quoted as saying at the launch of the BN election machinery in Alor Gajah today.

The Undi18 and automatic voter registration system took effect on Dec 15, 2021, one month after the last Melaka state election.

He cited them for the party’s loss in Alor Gajah, in the last general election (GE15) in November 2022.

“We didn’t know who these people were or where they came from, as they were registered as voters automatically. In the end, we lost the Alor Gajah parliamentary seat,” he said, according to Bernama.

The Melaka BN chairman noted that although the coalition secured a resounding victory in the 2021 state polls, this success could not be replicated in GE15, where the coalition lost all six parliamentary seats it contested.

The Election Commission has set Nov 14 as polling day for the Melaka polls. Nominations will be held on Oct 31, with early voting set for Nov 10.

In the 2021 Melaka state election, BN won 21 out of the 28 contested seats, enabling it to form the state government, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) won five seats and Perikatan Nasional (PN) secured two.

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