Polls info at your fingertips via ‘MYSPR Semak’

PUTRAJAYA: Checking voter status, candidates and even election results are now available at the fingertips via the ElectionCommission’s “MYSPR Semak” mobile application.

EC chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah said the app would be a useful tool for the public to get the latest, verified and official results in the upcoming 14th general election.

He said the initiative was the result of study, observation and the EC’s engagements with different groups during by-elections.

“Now, voters can obtain the elec- tion results themselves without having to go through other sources which more often than not, will just confuse them,” said Mohd Hashim after launching the mobile application.

He also said the EC would be meeting government agencies who wanted their staff to be included in the category of postal voters.

Those seeking to be eligible for postal voting include the Health Ministry’s critical services staff such as doctors, nurses and ambulance drivers, Prisons Department for their warders and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for its personnel.

“We will be meeting with these agencies to hear their views and see what is the best solution that we can come up with. After all, these people are voters and they want to exercise their right to vote. It is the EC’s job to facilitate this,” said Mohd Hashim.

Currently, police and armed forces personnel are enlisted as early voters while media practitioners and election workers are categorised as postal voters.

Meanwhile, only 2,700 undergraduates registered as voters during EC’s voters registration programme at public varsities this year.

Mohd Hashim said this was less than 10% of the estimated 30,000 students the EC engaged with during these programmes.

“Some said they are not voters because they wanted to remain apolitical. And some didn’t know they needed to register before they could vote,” he said.

He said the EC would continue to encourage young Malaysians to register, adding that the number of voters aged between 21 and 39 was low.

He also said it was not possible for Sarawakians and Sabahan living in Peninsular Malaysia to vote for their respective constituencies in east Malaysia without having to go back as suggested by election reform group Bersih 2.0.