PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission expects voter turnout for the Johor election tomorrow to reach about 70%.
EC chairman Ramlan Harun said the projection was based on strong public interest during the campaign period, reflecting voters’ enthusiasm to cast their ballots.
“We have observed that interest in voting this time is relatively high. With the ongoing campaigning, the EC expects turnout could reach around 70%,” Bernama reported him as saying today.
He said public awareness of the importance of the electoral process also contributed to the projection.
The voter turnout in the 2022 state election was 54.9%, which observers attributed to the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, and political fatigue.
Ramlan said about 2.7 million registered voters were eligible to cast their ballots in the state election.
Voting begins at 8am, with polling centres closing at different times depending on their locations, although most will close at 6pm.
“Some will close at 11am, with the earliest being in Pulau Besar, which is about half an hour from Mersing. At noon, two locations will close, namely Pulau Aur and Pulau Pemanggil.
“Seventeen centres will close at 2pm, 42 centres at 4pm, and 1,114 centres at 6pm,” he said.
Ramlan said 43,036 election workers have been mobilised to oversee the voting process, while 24,677 postal ballot papers had been issued and must be received by the EC before 6pm tomorrow.
The EC also gave an assurance that logistical arrangements, including the transportation of ballot boxes from island areas, had been meticulously planned, with contingency measures in place and the cooperation of the police and armed forces to address any unforeseen circumstances.
