PETALING JAYA: Undi18 has joined several NGOs to launch Undi Johor, an effort to transport postal vote ballots from Singapore to Johor in the upcoming state elections.
In a statement, the groups said postal voting procedures should be amended to ensure that Malaysians overseas can participate in the election process.
It pointed out that an estimated 200,000 Johoreans residing in Singapore were eligible to vote in this election.
“Undi Johor is hereby offering to support the Election Commission (EC) in transporting postal vote ballots from Singapore to Johor.
“More details about this initiative will be announced closer to the nomination date,” it said, adding that it just wanted to fill in the gaps left by the EC in the postal voting process.
The group said the EC has not shown any indication of improving the election process in Malaysia ever since the pandemic started.
It said the implementation of the Undi18 bill would see around 750,000 new voters in Johor due to automatic voter registration and the lowering of the voting age – a 30pc increase from the registered 1.8 million voters in the last general election (GE14).
It added that voters aged 18 to 20 years comprised around 6pc of the total figure, which is an estimated 175,000 youths.
“Thus it is of utmost importance that all 2.59 million eligible voters be given sufficient access to exercise their democratic right,” it said.
The group also said it would be creating a Pulang Mengundi fund, adding that it will serve to subsidise the transport costs of students and youths who are returning to Johor to vote.
“We once again call upon the EC to consider allowing Malaysians overseas to cast their vote or drop the ballots at our embassies overseas, which can then facilitate the transportation of ballots back to Malaysia.
“The EC needs to be responsible to make the process of voting more easier for voters and not by limiting their registration days and asking voters to mail back their ballots,” it said.
Johor will go to the polls on March 12 with early voting taking place on March 8, and nomination day set for Feb 26.
Some 2,597,742 voters will be eligible to cast their ballots in this state election, which will see three major coalitions vying to form the next Johor state government, namely BN, PN and PH.
