THE Election Commission (EC) has issued 19,010 postal ballots for all the 73 seats in the 16th Sabah state election, said EC secretary Ikmalrudin Ishak.

According to Ikmalrudin, the ballots, issued from September 14-16, comprised 17,257 for election workers, 81 for absent voters abroad, 78 for Malaysian citizens overseas and 1,594 for authorised health and security personnel.

“The process of issuing the postal ballot papers was carried out in the presence of representatives of candidates of contesting parties and individuals,” Ikmalrudin said in a statement today.

He said the process was also witnessed by appointed election observers.

According to Ikmalrudin, the process was also broadcast via live streaming on the EC Facebook page to of increase the public’s understanding of the election process.

Ikmalrudin also reminded all postal voters to immediately return their ballots to the returning officer in their constituency before 5pm on polling day, September 26.

Voters were also reminded to refrain from uploading photos of their ballots on social media to ensure the confidentiality of their votes. – Bernama, September 17, 2020.