Bersih urges govt to establish outstation voting mechanism

Bersih urged the federal government and Election Commission to put in place a mechanism to allow Sarawakians and Sabahans working, studying or residing in peninsula Malaysia to cast their votes there.

This would free them of the need to spend hefty sums to return to Borneo to cast their ballots in state and parliamentary elections.

The election watchdog said the same must be implemented for peninsula Malaysians who are working or studying in Sarawak and Sabah.

Bersih has officially submitted a proposal on this to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusuf.

A delegation of Bersih leaders paid a courtesy call on Fadillah in his Putrajaya office and presented the proposal, the election watchdog said in a statement.

“A mechanism on advance voting can be set up three days before polling to facilitate the casting of ballots by out-of-state voters throughout Malaysia to enable them to vote without having to travel back to their home state just for the purpose as is the case now.

“Mega voting centres can be set up three days before polling in every state to allow these out-of-state voters who are working, studying or residing away from their home states to cast their ballots.

“The Election Commission and the government can work out such a mechanism.

“In line with fairer and free elections, voters from every state must be accorded such facilities to exercise their voting rights without having to spend big sums of money on airfares just to get back to their states to vote as is the case now.

“Fadillah said he looks at this proposal positively and agree on the need for all voters to be able to vote conveniently,” said Bersih.

These ballots cast early by out-of-state voters can be kept in secure venues guarded by tight security in the respective states and counted on polling day without having to be flown out, said Bersih.

The votes then can be tallied with that of the respective polling districts after balloting had been completed on polling day.

Bersih said that this mechanism must be put in place before the next Sarawak election due in 2026 and the next general election. – July 10, 2024.