Voters in the Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections are reminded not to wear party logos or use phones at polling streams to avoid being barred.
KINABATANGAN: Voters in the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections have been reminded to strictly comply with election rules when casting their ballots.
Election Commission (EC) secretary Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus said voters must not wear clothing, caps, face masks or carry items bearing any party or candidate logos.
He stated that bringing any campaign materials or slogans indicating support for a political ideology is also prohibited.
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Failure to comply may result in voters being barred from entering polling centres by election officials.
“The EC hopes all parties will comply with election laws, regulations and ethics to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process,” he said in a statement.
The same reminder applies to candidates and election workers, with breaches subject to legal action.
Voters are also not allowed to use mobile phones at their respective polling streams.
They must place their phones in a designated area after receiving their ballot paper and retrieve them after voting.
Khairul Shahril reminded voters to bring their identity cards and voting information records to facilitate verification.
Voters can check their polling centre, stream and serial number via the EC portal, hotline or MySPRSemak application.
He also cautioned voters not to hand over their identity cards to anyone other than election officials.
Employers were reminded to allow reasonable time for employees who are registered voters to go out and vote.
The EC noted that the campaign period for both by-elections ends at 11.59 pm tonight.
After this time, all parties must cease all forms of campaigning, including vote canvassing.
This prohibition extends to activities outside polling centres and on social media platforms.
“All contesting parties or candidates are prohibited from opening, setting up or maintaining booths on Polling Day,” Khairul Shahril said.
A total of 1,106 personnel will manage the polling process across 36 ordinary polling centres.
These centres comprise 117 polling stations or streams for the by-elections.
A total of 48,282 individuals are eligible to vote in the Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections.
The EC expressed hope that all voters would fulfil their responsibility by coming out to vote.
Two polling centres will close at noon, while 34 will close in stages from 1 pm until 5.30 pm.
Indelible ink will be applied to the left little finger of voters who come to vote.
The Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election is a three-cornered contest involving Barisan Nasional, Warisan and an Independent candidate.
The Lamag state seat by-election is a straight fight between Barisan Nasional and Warisan.
Both by-elections are being held following the death of incumbent Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on 5 December last year. – Bernama
