PRNNS: Voter turnout outpaces 2023 polls as of noon

VOTER turnout in the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election reached 37.29 per cent as of 12 noon today, surpassing the 35.44 per cent recorded at the same point during the 2023 state election.

The Election Commission (EC), in its hourly update, said 320,627 of the 859,760 eligible ordinary voters had cast their ballots by midday.

Early voting, held on July 28, recorded a turnout of 91.06 per cent, with 14,995 military personnel, police officers and their spouses exercising their voting rights.

As polling continued across the state, Pakatan Harapan (PH) said it was leaving the outcome entirely in the hands of voters, stressing that the final mandate would be determined at the ballot box rather than by opinion polls.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said survey findings published by various organisations should be viewed in the context of their differing methodologies and not as a definitive predictor of the election outcome.

“Various parties have their own studies. These studies are just studies, with different methodologies, but ultimately the most important thing is the decision made by the people, not the surveys,” he told reporters after casting his vote at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Kelpin today.

He was responding to recent surveys by several think tanks that suggested a less favourable electoral outlook for PH in the Negeri Sembilan election.

Loke, who is also PH's candidate for the Chennah state seat, said polling had proceeded smoothly in most constituencies, with turnout broadly matching that of the previous state election.

He added that some areas had recorded stronger voter participation early in the day, describing the trend as an encouraging sign for Malaysia's democratic process.

“Based on the reports I have received, the voting percentage is more or less the same as the previous state election at this stage.

“There are areas where it is higher. On average, it is about the same, but there are also areas where the turnout this morning was higher than before.

“So we hope the turnout can reach 75 per cent and above.

“This is an important figure to ensure voter participation in the democratic system involves as many people as possible,” he said.

Loke said a strong voter turnout was essential to ensure that the mandate emerging from the election genuinely reflected the will of the majority of Negeri Sembilan's electorate. - August 1, 2026