Photo: Malay Mail
The 2022 Johor election is set to take place on March 12, 2022. This election will choose 56 members of the 15th Johor State Legislative Assembly, which dissolved on 22 January 2022.
Johor declared the snap election when the government, led by Chief Minister Hasni Mohammad, lost a simple majority in the legislature following the death of Kempas assemblyman Osman Sapian on 21 December last year.
Johor’s state polls will be conducted in the midst of the raging Covid-19 pandemic, which is why postal voting may be a safer option, not just for overseas Johor residents, but also for those who live out of state and those with comorbidities that may be exacerbated by a potential Covid-19 infection.
In a Newswav poll asking, “Do you support the use of postal voting at the upcoming Johor election?” 57.56% of 6,400 respondents voted “yes” as the option is safer and increases voter participation during these unprecedented times.
More than a third of respondents (37.74%) indicated that they would not support postal voting due to the possibility of fraud. The remaining 4.7% of voters are unsure.
So far, there are reportedly no proven attempts of fraud via postal votes in Malaysia.
In 2018, the Malaysian coalition for electoral reform Bersih had called the Election Commission to abolish postal voting to prevent electoral fraud, pointing out that ballot boxes with postal votes could be tampered with. Two years later, Bersih is seeking to improve the postal voting system.
Among the highlights of the Johor state election is Muar MP Syed Saddiq’s newly-registered political party MUDA, which will be contesting in the polls for the first time. The party has selected its secretary-general, 27-year-old Amira Aisya as a candidate for the seat in Puteri Wangsa and will reportedly nominate more women candidates.
Will you be voting at the upcoming Johor election? Are you an outstation Johorean looking to fly back to vote? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
