MORE than 20,000 volunteers have signed up to be polling agents and counting agents (PACA) on election day under Invoke, a PKR-linked polling and research organisation.

The large number suggests strong support for Pakatan Harapan (PH) parties, which are concerned about fraud on polling day.

But out of 21,848 volunteers registered with Invoke, only 3,238 have confirmed accepting their tasks.

The remaining 18,610 volunteers nationwide have yet to do so, prompting Invoke chief and PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli to appeal to them to confirm their acceptance via SMS, WhatsApp or email to Invoke.

“If you don’t confirm accepting your tasks as PACA by May 5, we will not be able to register you with the Election Commission (EC),” he said in a statement today.

Election candidates are required to submit to the EC their agents representing them in observing the polling and counting process.

While some candidates organise and recruit their own PACA, Invoke has centralised the arrangements for PKR candidates.

Invoke’s head of volunteer recruitment and management, Madihah Akmal, said the oldest volunteer was 65 years old while the youngest is 18.

Placing PACA in marginal seats are a priority and volunteers are assigned to one nearest to them through Invoke’s volunteer management system.

“For the volunteers who are voting in the super-majority seat (seats that are won by PH with a large majority) they are encouraged to be a PACA volunteer in a marginal seat in a rural area on polling day,” she said.

Volunteers do not get paid by any means and they are under the responsibility of the local party once the volunteers have been assigned to a specific location.

“They have to fund themselves for travel and food on that day.

“Those who are sent to rural areas won’t get paid accommodation from Invoke.” – May 1, 2018.