KOTA KINABALU: The Election Commission is expected to enforce the lower voting age of 18 by July 2021.
Its chairman, Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun, said the commission was preparing amendments to the Electorate Registry 2002, other relevant laws and standard operating procedures.
“We are also getting the necessary infrastructure in place for the automated implementation of rights for 18-year-old voters,” he told a press conference after an engagement session with political party members and non-governmental organisations in Sabah.
He added that the commission was expecting an increase of 22.7 million voters and was now updating the voting districts.
Azhar said the update would coordinate all necessary additional polling centres, including alternative voting areas.
As for the Kimanis by-election, he said the commission had yet to receive any notification from the Federal Court on its ruling yesterday to uphold the Sabah Election Court’s decision to nullify the parliamentary seat as void and null.
“A meeting will be held to discuss possible dates for the by-election.
“We will have a meeting within 10 days from the date EC receives notification from the court on the decision,” he said, adding that the Court had 14 days to give notification to the Commission on the ruling.
Azhar said he hoped that the 10th by-election, held after the last general election, would proceed as smoothly as the May by-election in Sandakan.
Earlier, he said the EC shared their current policy to 28 representatives from 14 political parties and 32 from non-governmental organisations.
Issues raised in the programme included dubious citizenship status among the electorate.
Azhar said the commission had previously removed 16,000 voters from their list prior to 14th General Election.
“We are working closely with the National Registration Department, but so far, there are no updates (on dubious citizenships).”