4 days ago
Suhakam suggests electronic postal votes for overseas Malaysians
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) suggests electronic postal votes to improve the voting system for Malaysians overseas.
The Suhakam Report 2023, presented in the Dewan Rakyat, highlighted critical issues in the postal voting system after the 14th and 15th General Elections.
Problems included high courier costs, short registration periods, ballot accessibility, spoiled votes due to discrepancies, and difficulty finding Malaysian witnesses overseas.
"On November 23, 2023, Suhakam held a webinar discussing issues related to overseas postal voting," it said in the report presented on Thursday (July 24).
The webinar featured a panel from the Election Commission, the Foreign Ministry, Global Bersih, a researcher from NETGRIT Indonesia, and a former Director of Elections from New Zealand.
Participants proposed recommendations such as exploring electronic voting, allowing non-Malaysians as witnesses, and early registration for overseas postal voters.
The Commission also recommended enhancing safety and efficiency to reduce technical errors during the postage of ballots.
"The number of Malaysians abroad voting by post is increasing due to legal amendments expanding voting rights," it added.
These changes include lowering the voting age to 18 and automatic registration for all Malaysians turning 18.
These amendments have significantly increased overseas postal voters, and issues faced by them have been reported to Suhakam.
Meanwhile, a total of 39 MPs will debate the Suhakam Report 2023 on Thursday.
