EC expects early voter turnout in Negeri Sembilan to surpass 90%, with overall participation projected between 72% and 75%.
PORT DICKSON: The Election Commission (EC) expects early voter turnout for the Negeri Sembilan state election to surpass 90%, while overall voter participation on polling day is projected to reach between 72% and 75%.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said the commission was confident of achieving a high early voting turnout based on the strong campaigning momentum and voter enthusiasm ahead of polling day.
He said a total of 16,467 early voters were eligible to cast their ballots today, comprising 11,293 Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) personnel and 5,174 police personnel, excluding postal voters.
A total of 5,591 ATM personnel and 281 police personnel were registered as postal voters.
Ramlan said early voting centres would close in stages, with 17 centres closing at noon, three centres at 2pm and the remaining 18 centres at 5pm today.
As of 11am, early voter turnout stood at 53.26%, with 8,771 out of 16,467 eligible voters having cast their ballots.
The EC expects turnout to reach around 90% by the end of voting today, although a full 100% turnout was unlikely due to unavoidable circumstances involving some military personnel and their spouses.
“These include situations such as divorce cases and other related matters.
“Therefore, the remaining 10% who may not turn up is something we anticipate,” he said.
Ramlan added that the expected turnout would be comparable with previous elections, citing the recent Johor state election, where early voting turnout reached 94%.
Meanwhile, he said the EC had received 206 complaints related to election offences throughout the Negeri Sembilan election period.
He said the complaints mainly involved minor offences, including campaign materials and other related matters, adding that the cases had been addressed accordingly.
“Overall, the election process so far has proceeded smoothly, orderly and peacefully.
“There were a few minor cases, but they have been resolved,” he said.
He also expressed appreciation to Negeri Sembilan voters for maintaining a peaceful election environment.
