New voters urged to prove youth voice matters

The electoral reform group Undi18 has urged youth voters to show that their voice matters in the coming 15th general election (GE15).

“Youths are urged to exercise their rights by voting on the general election polling day and proving the power of youths is a decisive factor in the (election).

“The strengthening of democracy starts with youths, and now the power is in your hands to decide who will administrate and shape the nation for the next five years,” it urged in a statement last night.

The statement came following caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement of the dissolution of Parliament yesterday, which paves way for the election to be held within the next 60 days.

The voting age was lowered from 21 years to 18 years effective late last year and automatic voter registration was introduced, setting the stage for the GE15 to be the first general election under the new rules.

The change entails an influx of over 5.8 million first-time voters, of whom 1.2 million are aged between 18 and 20.

Nevertheless, the Johor state election earlier this year saw poor voter turnout despite a large number of voters on the electoral roll.

In April, Undi18 and its partners, Architects of Diversity (AOD) and UndiNegaraku, launched the #Undi100Peratus campaign to achieve 100 percent youth voter turnout in GE15.

Meanwhile, Undi18 said the influx of youth voters means youths now comprise 51 percent of the electorate.

It urged political parties to put forward more youth candidates and first-time candidates to contest in the election.

It also urged the Election Commission to publish its plans in anticipation of holding an election amid a flood season, and streamline the postal voting process to make it easier for absentee voters to cast their ballots.

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