Only 212,834 postal voters in GE14 - EC
PUTRAJAYA, May 6 (Bernama) -- The Election Commission (EC) refuted allegations that there are up to four million postal voters in the 14th general election (GE14) when the actual number is only 212,834 people encompassing various categories of applications.
EC chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah said the total covered 149,730 via Form 1A involving election, armed forces, police and media personnel.
"Applications through Form 1B comprise Malaysians abroad totalling 7,979 applicants," he said in a statement here today.
Mohd Hashim said there were 51,472 applications through Form 1C.
He said they were personnel of the Fire and Rescue Department, Immigration Department, voluntary police, government hospitals and clinics, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Civil Defence Force, Prisons Department and National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).
Apart from that, Mohd Hashim said there is the absent voters (PTH) category for civil servants and their spouses as well as full-time students abroad and their spouses totalling 3,653 applications.
In this regard, he advised all postal voters to return their ballot paper to the respective returning officer before 5pm on GE14 polling day on May 9.
Mohd Hashim said EC also advised all postal voters not to believe viral messages on social media calling them to return their ballot paper without returning the identity confirmation form purportedly the vote would not be secret.
"Postal voters are reminded that if they did not to return their ballot paper with the form, their postal vote would not be counted and rejected as it was considered unmarked by the registered voter," he said.
He added that EC would take action against any parties spreading false messages as it could affect the voting process and the ballot paper would not be counted or rejected as it was considered unmarked.
Mohd Hashim said all voters including postal voters need not worry as EC assured their votes are secret and no one would know.
-- BERNAMA
