Ec Seeks Power To Update Voting Addresses Based On Mykads

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EC commissioner says Malaysia's electoral system is supposed to be based on the place of residence of voters, not their hometowns.
EC commissioner Zoe Randhawa said giving voters the option to not update their voting address based on their current place of residence was a major problem.PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission (EC) has proposed that it be given the authority to update the polling address of voters according to the addresses listed on their MyKads
EC commissioner Zoe Randhawa said Malaysia’s electoral system was supposed to be based on the place of residence of voters, not their hometowns, Bernama reported.
“It’s not based on where you were born or where you’re from. The electoral system we have, as stated in Article 119 of the Federal Constitution, is about residency.
“When you’re registered to vote, the constituency is determined by your residential address. It’s not determined by whether you’re Sabahan or Sarawakian or from Kelantan or Johor.
“If you live in Kuala Lumpur, for example, you’re registered as a voter in Kuala Lumpur,” she said, dismissing complaints that Sabahans and Sarawakians working in West Malaysia have to fly to Borneo to cast their ballots.
The former Bersih activist said allowing these East Malaysians to cross state lines to cast their ballots diluted the “residency-based first-past-the-post system”.
She said the system demanded that voters live in the constituencies where they cast their votes.
Randhawa said allowing voters to vote outside their place of residence would have an impact on the elected representatives and how they would seek to serve their constituents.
“One of the major problems we have with our electoral system is that voters are given a choice whether to update their voting address or not.
“I think a major structural reform that I would like to see is (the EC having) this power to update people’s voting addresses in line with their identity cards.” - FMT

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