MORE than half of Melaka’s voters had cast their ballots by 1.38 pm today, with turnout reaching 50.43% as polling continued across the state in an election that will determine the composition of its 28-seat legislative assembly.
The Election Commission’s (EC) voter turnout monitoring dashboard recorded the figure as voters continued to make their way to polling centres ahead of the scheduled 6 pm close.
The latest published reading marked an increase from 48.13% at 1 pm, when 322,072 ballots had been cast, and 40.32% at noon.
The EC is targeting a turnout of at least 70%, compared with the 65.85% recorded in the previous state election in November 2021.
The election sees 79 candidates contesting all 28 seats, with Barisan Nasional (BN) seeking to defend the two-thirds majority it secured five years ago.
BN won 21 seats in the 2021 election, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) took five and Perikatan Nasional (PN) secured the remaining two.
PH is fielding 24 candidates this time, followed by BN with 23. Parti Bersama Malaysia is contesting 16 seats, Bersatu seven, PN five and Parti Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia one, while three independents are also in the race.
Among the contests drawing attention is Tanjung Bidara, where caretaker chief minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh is defending his seat against PH candidate Mohd Yunazri Mustamiri.
Ab Rauf cast his ballot at Sekolah Kebangsaan Jeram in Masjid Tanah earlier today and urged voters to turn up early, with rain forecast for the afternoon.
In Pengkalan Batu, PH candidate Jason Tze-Xi Nathan briefly encountered a delay when a polling station chief sought clarification over whether election candidates were allowed to vote.
The confusion arose after the polling officer came across a message in a WhatsApp group claiming candidates were not permitted to cast ballots.
Nathan was eventually allowed to vote after the officer obtained confirmation from a superior. He said the process resumed about two minutes later and did not blame the polling officer for seeking clarification.
The incident did not prevent him from exercising his right as a registered voter in the constituency.
Meanwhile, the EC has expressed confidence that overall turnout could reach between 70% and 75%.
Its chairman, Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun, said more than 7,000 registered voters with disabilities had cast their ballots by the time of his visit to SJK(C) Malim.
He also said female voter participation was higher than that of male voters, based on the commission’s real-time monitoring system.
Ramlan said the first election result was expected to be available by 9.30 pm, with the official results for all 28 constituencies expected before midnight.
Polling began at 8 am at 240 centres involving 1,213 polling streams across the state.
The outcome will determine whether BN can retain its commanding position in the state assembly or whether its challengers can make sufficient gains to alter the balance of power in Melaka. - November 14, 2026
