THE Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) recommends an end to poster wars in the next elections due to the waste they generate .

Chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said the committee would forward the proposal to the government and the Election Commission (EC) for consideration.

“We will recommend that no more posters be allowed, but there may be exceptions (for some constituencies in rural areas) because the voters would want to know who the candidates are.

“The poster war creates a lot of problems and requires huge expenses… we will study (the proposal) thoroughly,” he told reporters in Ipoh, yesterday.

The ERC was established in August 2018 and given two years to submit a comprehensive report and suggest reforms for the electoral process, including legislative amendments.

Rashid said the ERC would also recommend that postal ballots for overseas voters be fully managed in the respective countries by representatives, including the counting of the ballots, to ensure that eligible voters do not miss out on voting.

“We would suggest that the postal votes not be sent back here (Malaysia). Representatives who are in charge of voting matters would distribute, collect and count the ballot papers there,” he said.

In addition, he said the committee was also studying the best way to facilitate the filing of an election decision petition so that it could be heard in court.

“Other suggestions include the need for exposure on voting methods beginning in school… so students will know the power of their voting rights,” he said.

Rashid added that the ERC would submit an interim report later this year to the government, while the full report is expected in September next year.

Asked if the proposals by the ERC could be adopted in the upcoming Sarawak elections, he said it would be impossible as there were many legislative issues that the EC was working on. – Bernama, August 16, 2019.