GE13 : Election Process and Things To Look Out For

I attended a Polling Agent, Counting Agent and Barong Agent (PACABA) class yesterday night to understand the polling process better. I am sharing it now as an awareness for everyone that will go and exercise your right to vote.

*Material you see below came from the PACABA class i attended. Copyright belongs to them and credit is to them. I am posting the images sans watermark and if you were to use it, please credit Pakatan Rakyat Taman Tun Dr. Ismail office.
First Time Voter? Not First Time? Read on.
The SPR has done a tremendous job putting up the new website which provides full information of your voting details. Go to Daftarj.spr.gov.my and key in your IC number minus the "-". You will get all your details shown. Print it out and keep it for May 5.

I removed the sensitive information above 

Please take note of your SALURAN and NO. SIRI. This two is important, apart from knowing where to vote, in this case, the above person is voting in Dewan Serbaguna MBPJ SS21/12 (Pooling Centre)
With this Saluran and No. Siri, you are a verified voter and you can go straight to the pooling line (Saluran). 
For your info, GE13 will see the SPR allowing Malaysian IC, Passport, Driving License and even Kad Haji (as it is a legitimate identification with photo by a government agency)to be used as identification for voting. 

Page 11 of Buku Panduan Pemerhati Barong 

This, in my opinion is open for abuse and fraud. We all know that the driving license is just a laminated document that can be fabricated and the photo replaced. Your identity could be stolen. If you find yourself unable to vote as someone has "voted for you", make a Polis report immediately.

Election Process Flow
This is your typical process for election. 

Each Saluran holds about 700 voters, except the Saluran 1, which is usually reserved for old folks. So, by knowing your SALURAN, you actually already know the age group of the people coming to vote at that Saluran.
*hint - if you see anyone way younger or way older than you in the same saluran...something is fishy
In most places without any hall or dewan, you will have a class room setup. 

 In places with dewan, the same flow applies, but the entrance and exit is the same door (for crowd control)

This is the flow during pooling. It is good to know about this again. Please take note of the SPR clerk's role. This is the biggest change compared to GE12/2008 where only two clerks were present. One to verify and read your name and one to hand you the ballot paper. The 2nd Clerk is entrusted to PAINT YOUR LEFT INDEX FINGER with the ink.

Your finger will be marked from the first knuckle past your fingernail and under to the first fold. So those emails about you not allowed to wear nail polish (women, and ok, some men), is unfounded. You can of course, but no harm not using any nail-polish anyway.

With that sorted, you will get your ballot paper. It will look something like this.

When you recieved your ballot paper, make sure that it has these few things done. THe 3rd SPR clerk will be handing this to you, FOLDED.

Take note that there is many first in this. We used to have ballot paper perforated with patterns to denote the Saluran. Each Saluran has unique pattern. This time around, SPR is introducing RUBBER Stamps and the rubber stamps will have unique patterns to each Saluran. This is one control to ensure that during vote counting, only votes related to the same Saluran is counted. Anything not STAMPED or share the correct stamping mark is deemed a spoilt vote. This is how your "undi hantu" or "phantom votes" come about. 

Another thing to note, there is NOT supposed to be any mark on the ballot paper or the ballot paper chit attached to the ballot book. Any marking especially marked with your voting No. Siri is a traceable act on SPR side to see who you had voted. Your vote thus, is not considered as a "secret".

Remember, NO other marking on the Ballot Paper or the Ballot Chit other than those already printed and stamped by the SPR Clerk no.3. If you see Clerk No.2 (inking) and/or Clerk No.3(Ballot paper) holding any writing instrument, you have every right to engage the Ketua Pusat Mengundi (KTM) and ask for an explanation. It is your right as a voter.

If you are bullied as a voter aka the clerks refused your right, you can read them the S(0)3 of the Election Offence Act (EOA) that states any offences can be fined RM5,000, Jailed 2 years or both, if found guilty. Say it out loud (but in a well behaved manner) so that everyone in the room knows. It is your right!

If you found any ballot paper NOT to meet your expectation, you can demand from the KTM to provide you a new ballot paper. This include if you tore the paper while folding and/or smudge the paper with the ink.

 Please take note of this photo. Remember, this is what the SPR Clerks CAN'T DO.

Next, I will share with you what is accepted as a "valid" vote according to the new ruling by SPR. This is unbelievable. But I believe the intention is to allow people to vote for as long as their intention for the individual is made known. Please take note that you will be voting with a BALLPEN  and no longer a pencil.

Basically, it is counted as a VOTE if your intention is placed in ONE line only. With this allowance, this is why i mentioned earlier that the ballot paper you received MUST NOT HAVE ANY MARK. Because lets say, you wanted to vote for Person A, but the Ballot paper you recieved has a marking (even a dot) on Person B, your vote is considered as SPOILT!
These are the votes that will be considered as spoilt.

Now you have (i hope) better understanding of the whole election and the processes that will happen. Educate yourself with these knowledge so you will be better protected as a voter. Do take note that things can go smoothly or turn confrontational especially when emotions are involved. If you are not happy with how you are given the ballot paper, always ask for a replacement. You have every right - but the final say lies on the KTM. Be civil, talk nicely, no one will say no to someone that will talk nicely. 

Having shared the above, i have a few questions that lingers in my mind:
1. Usage of any other documentation other than Malaysian IC - WHY?
2. Rubber stamp instead of perforation. This potentially allow someone with the same rubber stamp (outside) with access to the ballot paper (outside) to fabricate and pass extra ballot papers inside via "paid voters". Perforations is physically done before the balloting, and is safer. It takes away one step of Clerk No.3 to do any mistakes. So, WHY?
3. Marking of your serial number on ballot paper, if it happens, WHY?
4. Multiply different VALID way to cast instead of the TRIED and TESTED "X". WHY?

I have many more questions actually and this got to do with suspicious voters that looked more like immigrants coming to vote. If you do see them on pooling day, it is your right to bring this up to the KTM. Impersonation MUST be stopped.

For full Buku Panduan PRU 13, please download them at http://www.pru13.gov.my/default.downloads.00.php

This blog entry is accurate at time of writing. I have cross-referenced all items based on the Buku Panduan per PRU13 website.