Bersih 2.0 wants the Election Commission (EC) to clarify overseas voting procedures for the coming general election.

In a statement, the electoral watchdog said that it had “sighted an email” confirming that Malaysians abroad will be able to vote via post in GE14.

However, they said the process of overseas voting itself remained vague, with conflicting information being given to voters.

“In the 2016 Sarawak state election and the recent by-elections, voting facilities at embassies were not provided and voters had to courier their ballot papers back to Malaysia themselves.

“For the Sarawak state election, Bersih 2.0 reported that overseas voting was poorly implemented and voters were unable to cast their ballots as a result,” the statement read.

This referred to the claim that ballot papers only arrived at voters’ homes two days before the election date, making it near impossible for it to be posted back to Malaysia in time.

Bersih 2.0 also reiterated their call for the EC to adopt their proposal to increase the accessibility and transparency of absentee voting.

The proposal, which was submitted last May, recommends designating overseas polling stations for advanced voting, and vote-counting to be carried out on-site to prevent any possibility of fraud in the storage and transportation of ballots.

“Such reforms can be done through simple amendments to regulations and will be a step towards restoring public confidence in the EC,” they said.