The state DAP wants the Election Commission (EC) to explain why 30,173 registered voters in Perak have suddenly had their voting centres changed without their knowledge or prior notification.

"The EC must explain why this was done without the knowledge of these voters, within seven days," Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming said today.

Nga claimed that the matter came to light after the commission released its second quarter electoral roll on June 29, which saw the mass transfer of 118,774 voters from their original voting centres, without prior notification.

He claimed that Perak tops the list of states with the most numbers of voters being relocated to new voting constituencies, with some 30,173 voters affected.

The transfers of voters to different constituencies, Nga (photo) said, would change the electoral make-up of at least 40 parliamentary seats.

He said the matter was revealed when the latest version of the electoral roll was examined by electoral reform coalition Bersih.

"What is really shocking is that none of the transferred voters received notification of their voting centres being changed.

"Ten of the state seats involved are marginal seats, which can determine the outcome of the forthcoming 14th general election," he said.

Nga said opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan hopes the EC would be truly neutral and not be involved in any electoral offence or abuse of the country's democratic system.

"We give the EC seven days to give a detailed explanation, failing which Harapan will lodge a police report and take legal action to defend our democratic system," he added.

Electoral watchdogs have been making some noise of late over the EC's large scale transfer of voters from their registered voting centres.

Critics argue that this is a sleight of hand gerrymandering, in a deliberate effort to change the electoral make-up of seats, especially the marginal seats, to benefit certain parties in lieu of a constituency redelineation.

The EC, on its part, has contended that it transfers voters to nearer voting centres to ease the voting process.