Voter turnout exceeds 67pct at 5pm, higher than 2022 final turnout

JOHOR POLLS | Voter turnout in the Johor election today reached 67.44 percent of over 2.68 million eligible voters as of 5pm today, according to the Election Commission.

The figure, just an hour before polls close, is substantially higher than the final tally of the 2022 Johor election.

The state election in 2022 was held under strict measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 and saw a low turnout of just 54.92 percent.

The percentage was low compared with most elections in Malaysia.

This time around, the EC is targeting a turnout of 70 percent, which is more in line with what is typically seen in state elections.

In the run-up to the election, all sides have actively rallied their Johor supporters living outside the state to return to vote.

There also appeared to be a lull in today’s voting when several areas in Johor were hit with heavy storms during the early afternoon, but the pace picked up again after the rain subsided a few hours later.

Harapan’s vote bank?

Voter turnout is a closely watched metric in the election, with some analysts even tying it to Pakatan Harapan’s chances.

A high turnout is often seen as an indicator that outstation voters - a voting bloc that tends to lean towards progressive parties - are turning up at polling centres in large numbers.

Malaysiakini will be covering the results live once polling ends at 6pm. The EC expects the full results to be ready as early as 10pm tonight.

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