KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been urged to strengthen the country’s election management by implementing artificial intelligence (AI) technology and modern digital systems to help the Election Commission (EC) implement a more efficient, transparent and cost-effective election process.
Treasurer of the Malaysia IoT Association, Pathmanathan Muniandy said the use of technologies such as AI, big data analytics, smart logistics systems and electronic voting machines, could change the country’s election landscape.
“For example, the government allocated RM2.5 million to conduct the Ayer Kuning state by-election, while a Parliamentary by-election such as that in Pulai is estimated to cost RM4.5 million.
“If the use of this technology is optimised, such costs can be significantly reduced without affecting the integrity and transparency of the election process,” he said in a statement today.
He said that although the initial implementation requires a large allocation, it is a long-term investment that is economical because it can reduce dependence on manual labour, speed up the voting and vote counting process and reduce the risk of errors and fraud.
Pathmanathan also suggested the use of self-service machines or ‘vending machines’ as electronic ballot boxes that can automatically count votes once the voting process closes.
“This not only saves time and manpower, but also increases transparency and reduces the need for physical counting centres. In fact, voter privacy can also be improved,” he said.
He added that the use of digital systems can also avoid issues such as power outages or blackouts which often cause speculation when election results are announced late.
However, he said, the implementation of this system needs to be thoroughly examined, especially from the aspects of cyber security, digital infrastructure and people’s confidence in new technology.
He also recommended that the voter management system be improved with facial recognition and biometric technology to prevent identity fraud and speed up the process of checking the electoral roll.
“Digital transformation in election governance is not intended to replace the role of humans, but to support and strengthen the existing system with more efficient and effective technology,” he said.
