Global Bersih: Postal votes for overseas voters still arriving too late
Overseas voters are still receiving their postal ballots too late to send back in time to be counted, said electoral watchdog group Global Bersih.
This comes after the recent Malacca and Sarawak elections in November and December respectively.
“The insufficient time for sending back ballots is a crucial problem which...
Overseas voters are still receiving their postal ballots too late to send back in time to be counted, said electoral watchdog group Global Bersih.
This comes after the recent Malacca and Sarawak elections in November and December respectively.
“The insufficient time for sending back ballots is a crucial problem which prevents many Malaysians from voting in practice.
“The Election Commission (EC) has been aware of this problem since the 14th general election (GE14) and it is urgent for this to be resolved for future elections, and especially before GE15,” said the Global Bersih steering committee in a statement today.
They said they had received reports from Sarawakians living in countries like South Korea, Australia, Singapore and Germany who received their ballot papers too late to be returned before polling day, even when expensive courier services were used.
“Several voters only received their ballot papers on the day of – or after – the election date, making it impossible for them to cast their votes in time,” they said.
Malaccans living overseas reported similar problems during the Malacca snap polls, compounded in some cases by difficulties in finding fellow Malaysians where they are living to witness the ballot.
As such, Global Bersih urged the EC to work with the overseas Malaysian community to immediately address the issue and other issues raised in its overseas voting reform.
