A GROUP of some 16 civil society organisations (CSOs) wants postal voting to be extended to all Sarawak voters overseas in the forthcoming state election.

This is among recommendations the group, led by the Sarawak chapter of the CSO Platform for Reform, has forwarded to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg and the chairman of the Election Commission (EC) for implementation.

Currently, postal voting is only available to voters from nine government agencies, the media, police and military personnel who are unable to vote in advance as well as election workers or commissioners of the EC who are on duty on polling day.

With the 12th Sarawak state election looming – within 60 days if the state of emergency is lifted on August 1 – the group also wants the categories of voters who can vote in advance expanded to include out-of-region voters – those who live and work in states outside of where they are currently registered as a voter.

It said this is to enfranchise the thousands of Sarawakians who live and work in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan and could not return home to vote.

It proposes advance voting centres be set up in all states and those who qualify must pre-register themselves to be on the advance voting roll, much like the police and military personnel.

“They can then go to any of these voting stations on advance voting day to cast their votes in person and have their votes counted as votes of the constituency they are registered for,” the group said.

“Counting and tallying can be done at a certain time on polling day itself,” the group stated.

It also wants mobile voting, which it said the EC could utilise for the infirmed, disabled and aged voters living in nursing and care homes as well as those in Covid-19 quarantine or under stay-at-home orders. “This can be part of the advance voting,” it added.

With the Covid-19 pandemic still very much a concern, the group said in order to have a safe election, voting should be held over two days to cater for the number of voters who have to comply with the standard operating procedures at the polling stations. – July 24, 2021.