Bersih 2.0 has submitted a report involving over 80 complaints received about the electoral roll to the Election Commission (EC).
- Malaysians overseas registered without their consent
- Unregistered voters whose names appeared on the electoral roll
- Voter names removed from electoral roll
- Voters moved to a distant constituency without their knowledge
- Registered voters not able to change their address
- Names of deceased persons and former citizens on electoral roll
The Coalition of Free and Fair elections said it had been receiving the complaints from members of the public since the dissolution of Parliament on April 7.
“These complaints have been independently verified by Bersih by cross-checking the current and older versions of the electoral roll,” the Bersih Steering Committee said in a statement on Tuesday (April 24).
It urged the EC to explain the discrepancies and take urgent action to rectify and protect the integrity of the electoral roll before polling day on May 9.
“Bersih is especially alarmed by the high number of complaints received from Malaysians staying overseas who have been registered without their consent,” it said.
It added that this raises serious questions over the registration process and the motivations of those who registered these people who are unlikely to be present to vote on polling day.
Other complaints are typical of those Bersih have received in the past.
The highest number of complaints were made by those who found their names on the roll despite not having registered as voters. There were 24 complaints in this category.
Then there were those who found their names missing from the roll or moved out of their constituencies without prior notice.
Some complained that they were barred from changing their addresses, while others found the deceased still registered as voters.
There were also cases where voters had their names removed from the roll because they were deemed to be deceased – such voters will not be allowed to vote on May 9 if the EC fails to rectify the problem soon.
Calling the complaints “the tip of the iceberg”, the group’s executive director Yap Swee Seng said voters were still encountering problems with the voting process despite the Election Commission’s (EC) promise to rectify such mistakes.
“They said they would look into it (the complaints), but gave no assurance that they would provide the written explanation,” Yap told the Malay Mail.
Bersih also urged all voters who face similar problems to come forward and submit their complaints to the EC without further delay.
Complainants should provide a copy of their complaints to aduan.pemantau.org to enable Bersih to assess the seriousness of the problems associated with the electoral roll nationwide.