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Election Process
Check your voting status: SPR Electoral Information
Elections are supervised by a seven-member politically neutral Election Commission. Its members are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong following the advice of the Prime Minister. Since 1957, Malaysia has retained a multi-party political system whereby the political party which secures the majority of the Parliamentary seats (House of Representatives) or the State Legislative Assembly seats can form the Federal or State Government as the case may be. The system used in Malaysia is based on the First-Past-The-Post System. This implies that the candidate who secures a simple majority will be declared the winner in that constituency.
Number of Constituencies
In the election system practised by Malaysia, a candidate is elected to represent the residents of that constituency at Parliament (Federal Election) or the State Legislative Assembly (State Election). To date there are 222 House of Representatives seats (Parliament) and 576 State Legislative Seats.
More details on Electoral System
Election Day
On election day, registered voters may cast their ballot for their chosen candidate in a designated voting centre. These voting centres are typically schools or community centres which have been procured for that day. All activities in the school are suspended for that day. Holidays are also declared in states where election day does not fall on a weekend to allow maximum turnout.
Officially, this day starts after 12.00 midnight and ends with the announcement of the results. However, polling time is fixed from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm for Peninsular Malaysia and from 7.30 am to 5.00 pm for Sabah and Sarawak. For remote areas, mobile teams are utilized to facilitate polling. In addition, the polling times may differ in different districts. The Election Commission normally issues a general notice informing the public of important matters concerning the election.
Certain political parties will provide transport for voters to and from the voting centre. While campaigning is not allowed on election day, transportation is seen as something of a social service, especially since many people did not have a personal means of conveyance until the last decade or two, as of 2004.
No campaigning or advocacy for candidates is allowed within a voting centre. However, just outside the gate of most voting centres, there will be people plugging the various candidates.
Voting process
Only registered voters may vote in elections. Any Malaysian citizens above 21 years old must register in the voters' registry with the Election Commission via any offices affiliated with the Election Commission, post offices with computerised facilities or specified counters, before he or she could vote in elections.
After identity verification at a voting centre, each voter receives two paper ballots, one for the parliamentary seat of the constituency and another for the state assembly seat. In federal territories, where there is no state assembly, and states whose state election is held on a different date, each voter receives only one ballot for the parliamentary seat.
How to Vote?
Each voter walks into individual booth to mark the ballots in secret. An elector will cast his vote for one candidate only by marking the ballot paper with a sign "X" against the name of the candidate of his choice. After marking the ballot paper the voter will fold it along the folds appearing on the ballot paper and insert it in the ballot box provided. If two papers are marked for simultaneous elections (House of Representatives and State Legislative Assembly) each of the ballot papers will have to be marked, folded and inserted in separate boxes marked "PARLIMEN" and "NEGERI"
Postal Voting
The postal votes are mailed, as early as possible, to electors who are entitled to vote by the postal vote method. Postal voters normally comprise personnel from the armed forces, Police Field Force, election officials on duty, government officers serving overseas, students studying overseas, and spouses.Postal votes must reach the Returning Officer by 5.00 pm on polling day. Proper procedures have been formulated to ensure the secrecy of the vote.
Counting and Announcement of Election Results
After the close of voting the election agents check the ballot boxes prior to opening and counting. They also monitor the counting to ensure that the total ballots are the same as the number of votes cast. This extends to checking the number of "double votes". Every ballot paper has a serial number on it and they are given out sequentially. Agents may check that the serial numbers match up. The counting of the ballots is done by hand.
After a count at the voting centre the boxes are transported to the counting centre for a second count. If all candidates agree to the count then it stands or else an immediate re-count is done at the counting centre.
Election results are announced through live broadcasts by radio and television stations. Some newspapers print special editions to cover the election results. In most constituencies, the results will be out on the night of the election day. In some rural constituencies and constituencies that need recounts, the results may not be announced until the next day.
