ONE of Pakatan Harapan’s polling agents in the Tanjung Bungah state seat in Penang today “caught” his Barisan Nasional counterpart jotting down voters’ serial numbers into notebooks.

Lawyer Andrew Yong, 38, the polling agent from PKR, said he and PH’s Tanjung Bungah candidate Zairil Khir Johari saw a BN polling agent at the SM Pendidikan Khas Persekutuan polling station jotting down serial numbers in a white notebook provided by the party at 11am this morning.

“The notebook’s first page had instructions to note down the serial numbers read out by the polling clerk, and to immediately submit the notebook to an IT staff appointed by the party agent in charge of the ballot box after leaving the polling station.

“The agents were also instructed to not leave the notebooks on the table after finishing their shifts,” Yong said in a police report that he lodged.

Yong said the BN polling agent’s action was against Sections 5(2) and 5(3) of the Election Offences Act.

“The polling clerk questioned the agent. We then learned that the notebook was to be taken out every two hours at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, and 5pm when the agent’s shift ended. It would then be given to the BN supervisor.

“The notebook was confiscated with the help of the clerk. I also reported the matter to the Election Commission’s supervisor at the school and asked the clerk to alert the other streams and seize the other notebooks.”

Yong said the returning officer for the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat and the assistant returning officer for the Tanjung Bunga state seat were also informed of the incident.

“I was then referred to the Penang EC director. They all advised me to lodge a police report,” he said.

Polling day in PH-controlled Penang proceeded smoothly today, except for a few voters being told they could not vote as the EC’s records showed that they had already cast their ballots.

One elderly man in the Bagan parliamentary seat was also told to change out of his shorts before entering the polling station.

By 2pm, more than 65% of Penang voters, except early and postal voters, had cast their votes. – May 9, 2018.