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EC aims for automatic voter sign-up to start mid-2021

Election Commission chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun says the tender for the computerised automatic voter registration system has been awarded and is targeted for implementation by the middle of next year. ― Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Election Commission chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun says the tender for the computerised automatic voter registration system has been awarded and is targeted for implementation by the middle of next year. ― Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 22 — The tender for the computerised automatic voter registration system has been awarded and is targeted for implementation by the middle of next year, Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said.

Automatic voter registration was introduced as part of the government’s move to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 last year.

“We will also be making every effort to expedite the process,” he said following a courtesy visit by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee to the EC’s headquarters.

Presently, the EC secretariats are manually identifying potential voters according to their address, so that their voting locality can be determined.

“Since the Constitutional amendment to lower the voting age was passed in July last year, over two million people have been identified by the EC.

“This means by the time the auto-registration system comes online, we will have prepared these two million or more people to be included,” Azhar said.

The chairman previously expressed his confidence that automatic voter registration will be in place for the 15th general election due by 2023.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said last July that over seven million Malaysians will be eligible to vote by 2023, following the lowering of the voting age threshold from 21 to 18.

Today’s visit by a parliamentary delegation included the committee’s chairman Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, as well as the chairman of the Special Select Committee on Major Public Appointments William Leong who is also Selayang MP.

The focus of the visit was to discuss how the EC can better cooperate with both parliamentary committees towards fairer, more efficient and transparent election processes.

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