VOTERS generally took the prohibition of bringing handphones to polling booths in their stride today

Many welcomed the decision by the Election Commission (EC), saying it would ensure that the secret ballot remains as such.

Pejuang chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad was among those who hailed the move.

The move can curb vote-buying because voters would be unable to snap a photograph of their marked ballot paper and then seek cash payment from the party or individual they had voted for, he said.

Speaking to reporters after having voted at the Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Titi Gajah polling centre in Kuala Lumpur, he said he hoped that the EC would stick to its decision and prohibit voters from taking their mobile phones with them to polling booths even in future elections.

Bernama asked several voters about the prohibition and they said they had no problem abiding by the rule.

Halijah Jusoh, 53, said she was not worried about the prohibition.

She said the phone was taken care of by an EC staff and returned to her after she had voted at the Sekolah Menengah Persendirian Chong Hwa polling centre in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.

Nadia Ibrahim, 38, who voted in the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency, said leaving the phone behind when going to the polling booth did not pose any hindrance to polling.

Engineer Ahmad Faizal Baharin, 37, who voted at the SK Sungai Talam polling centre in Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, said the EC decision prevented irresponsible voters from snapping a photograph of their ballot paper and posting it on social media.

“We have to ensure that each vote is secret,” he said.

First-time voter Nurul Qaireena Umairah Mohd Hasim, 18, said she understood the significance of the prohibition and abided by the rule. – Bernama, November 19, 2022.