Easy ways to vote in GE15, except it’s during banjir season

Parliament was dissolved on October 10th which only means one thing, the 15th general elections are happening soon. Rumours claim that the polling day would likely take place in late November, which unfortunately falls during the monsoon season. This is because GE must be held 60 days after the dissolution of the parliament.

However, since the last GE, there have been some changes to the law that automatically registers everyone at the age of 18 and above as voters. So when GE15 comes, you can go vote without having to go through the hassle of registering yourself anymore.

Now, some of you may be wondering:

“What do I do from here?”

“How do I know where to vote?”

“What if I’m not in the country?”

Well, we know it is sudden to many but fret not, we are here to guide you through this, especially for all the 5.8 million new voters that are going to vote for the first time!

 

Check your voter registration status: Where and how?

First things first, you need to know that Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) is the one responsible in handling the whole election process in Malaysia, from the registration part to choosing the day of which elections will be held (explaining this because you’ll hear a lot of SPR this, SPR that).

Now you can proceed with checking your voter registration at MySPR Semak, where you will be able to verify your details.

If you wish to change your polling station, you can visit here to create an account and it would ideally be approved within the next 1-2 days.

To change your polling constituency, you will need to fill up “Form A” on the website to update your new address, but it may take up to 8 weeks for it to be processed. Considering that GE will happen soon, you might not have the time to change your address now, but it’s always worth trying!

 

How does a ballot casting work?

Honestly, the process is pretty simple.

First, go to your voting centre.

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After verifying your identity, your index finger will be dipped into an indelible ink for you to cast your vote.

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You will then be given the ballot papers.

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You will enter an individual booth to mark your ballots in private.

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Once done, you will need to fold your ballot papers before dropping them in the ballot boxes.

Voting centres or pusat mengundi for GE15 will be opened from 8am – 6pm for peninsular Malaysia, and 7.30am – 5.30pm for Sabah and Sarawak.

The centres are usually held at public schools and you can expect the place to be crowded.

Our advice is for you to bring your own umbrella (useful for when it’s hot or rainy) and handy fan because you’d want to get yourself comfortable.

 

All Malaysians abroad can vote by post

For Malaysians who live abroad and can’t make it home to vote in person, postal voting exists just for you.

All eligible Malaysians aged 18 and above abroad can apply for postal voting including those who reside in neighbouring countries like Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia, and the application is now OPEN!

To vote, all you have to do is follow these simple steps:

• Go to myspr.spr.gov.my and register for an account.
• Once your account is approved within 1-2 days, you can log into your account and apply to be a postal voter.

Upon successful application, the ballot papers will be emailed to your address and all that is left for you to do is:

• Mark the ballot
• Fill in the form
• And insert them back into an envelope to be sent to Malaysia at your own cost, or drop it at the Malaysian embassy.

For a more detailed explanation, click here!

With that, we would like to encourage all Malaysians to go out and practice your fundamental rights because:

But with the floods, let’s hope that your polling station won’t end up… undiwater.