BALLOT papers without the official Election Commission stamp are still considered valid, its chief,  Mohd Hashim Abdullah said today after several voters questioned if their unstamped ballots would be disqualified if they were not stamped by EC staff.

“The ballot papers are supposed to be stamped but there could be instances where they miss it because they forget to do so,” Hashim said today.

He said presiding officers and polling agents are to use their discretion when allowing such ballots to be counted.

Hashim said that cases of unstamped ballots were isolated and that “it was only the mistake of the EC staff” at certain voting streams, adding that voters should not believe all messages circulating on social media.

“Please don’t be fooled by these messages. The process is monitored by all parties that have a stake. Some people are trying to cause panic and create distrust towards the Election Commission,” he said.

He said ballots cast into the wrong boxes, either parliamentary or state, would be segregated accordingly under the supervision of the presiding officer and party agents when counted. – May 9, 2018.