MALAYSIANS residing abroad who are registered as voters and eligible to vote in the 14th general election can apply for postal voting beginning today.

Election Commission chairman Mohd Hashim Abdullah said they must first meet several conditions, including having registered as a voter under the regular or absent voter category, having been in Malaysia or having returned to Malaysia not fewer than 30 days within five years before the dissolution of Parliament or the state assembly, and having been living abroad.

“Those who are eligible and meet the conditions may apply for postal voting using Form 1B,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He said Malaysians residing in southern Thailand, namely Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Songkhla and Satun; Singapore; Brunei; and Kalimantan province, Indonesia, however, could not apply for postal voting and must return to Malaysia to cast their votes on polling day.

He said the EC had uploaded Form 1B onto its website, adding that guidelines on the filling up of the form could also be downloaded from the website.

He said the completed form must be sent to the EC headquarters in Putrajaya, either by email to [email protected]; fax to 03-8881-0424/0399/0394/0386/0369; or regular mail to Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia, Menara SPR, No.2 Jalan P2T, Presint 2, Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62100 Putrajaya, with the note, “attn. Unit Pengurusan Undi Pos Luar Negara”.

“The postal voting application facility will be closed on the day Parliament is dissolved, and any application form received after midnight on that day will not be processed.”

Hashim said each application received before the dissolution of Parliament would be processed, and applicants would be notified of the status of their applications.

“However, Malaysian nationals who have registered as absent voters abroad need not apply for the postal voting facility as they are already entitled to vote by post.”

He advised absent voters abroad to update their addresses in their countries of residence, through the EC Complaint and Inquiry System on its website, by attaching a copy of their passport for verification.

“This is to ensure the postal ballot papers for GE14 are sent to the correct address.”

He said for GE14, the mailing out of postal ballot papers would be fully managed by Pos Malaysia Bhd, and no longer by the Foreign Ministry.

For enquiries, please contact the EC at 03-8881-0081 or email to [email protected]. – Bernama, January 23, 2018.