Clearance for new voters by May, says EC

(The Star) – New voters, including those who registered yesterday, will get clearance by May, said Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof.

Yesterday was the last day to register in time to vote for the 13th general election.

He said the EC would need to carry out several procedures before the latest electoral roll could be gazetted.

“We need to check whether those who registered are new voters or are changing their address.

“Once this is done, we will scan the accuracy of the names with the National Registration Department,” he said.

Abdul Aziz said after the name list had been cleared, it would be displayed for seven days before being included in the electoral roll.

The exact number of registered voters will only be known after that.

In Shah Alam, people rushed to the Selangor EC office at the PKNS Complex to register as voters.

According to an EC officer, almost 500 people registered yesterday.

“We received about 6,000 new registrations and address changes on Friday alone,” said the officer.

First-time voter Alina Ariffin, 26, said she went to the EC office because the post office had run out of forms.

“I did not register before this, but I want to vote this time because it is an important election,” she said.