EC: Six state polls on Aug 12

State polls for Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan will be held on Aug 12, Election Commission chairperson Abdul Ghani Salleh announced today.

Speaking at a press conference after chairing a special meeting this morning, Ghani (above) said the nomination day has been set on July 29.

"Early voting is on Aug 8. The campaign period has been set for 14 days beginning after the announcement of contesting candidates on July 29, until 11.59pm on Aug 11," he said.

The latest gazetted electoral roll in use has been updated up to June 21, with 9,773,571 voters, comprising 9,674,456 ordinary voters, 49,660 armed forces personnel and spouse; 47,728 police personnel and spouse; as well as 1,727 absentee overseas voters.

The 14-day campaigning period was consistent with those set for the 15th general election last year and the state elections in Johor, Sarawak, Malacca, and Sabah.

In total, the state polls will see contests in 245 state seats: Selangor (56), Kedah (36), Penang (40), Kelantan (45), Terengganu (32), and Negeri Sembilan (36).

For postal ballots, Ghani announced that applications for overseas postal voters, which have been open since June 15, will be closed on July 8.

Meanwhile, domestic postal voter applications from election staff/EC officers, police, armed forces personnel and media will be closed on July 26; and voters from agency/organisation will have until July 11.

In total, there will be 3,190 ordinary polling centres with 17,048 voting streams, as well as 260 early voting centres.

Kelantan dissolved its state assembly on June 22, followed by Selangor on June 23, while Penang, Kedah, and Terengganu dissolved theirs on June 28. Negeri Sembilan was the last to dissolve its assembly on July 1.

The six states are having their elections now unlike Perlis, Perak, and Pahang which had theirs concurrently during the GE15 in November last year.

The six states opted not to dissolve their legislatures last year as a mark of protest against then caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's decision to force an election during the monsoon season.

Sabah, Sarawak, Johor and Malacca did not dissolve their legislative assemblies then owing to the fact that none of their terms even reached the halfway mark.

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