If You're Not Eligible To Vote This Year, Here's How You Can Get Involved In GE14 Instead
It's not too late to volunteer as a polling or counting agent.
By Tamara Jayne — 25 Apr 2018, 01:23 PM
With less than two weeks to go, Malaysians are all geared up to cast their ballots in the "mother of all elections" on 9 May. However, some of you may find yourself ineligible to vote, especially if you signed up this year.
The Election Commission (EC) recently stated that those who signed up to vote from 1 January 2018 onward are ineligible to vote as it takes three months to update the electoral roll.
1. How can I volunteer to help for GE14?
You can sign up to be a polling or counting agent (PACA). There are PACA trainings being held all over the country.
"722 volunteers attended and trained as PACA all over the country last week, but that is not enough because we need 20,000 to be stationed all over the country," according to Invoke Malaysia.
2. How old must I be to be eligible to volunteer?
You need to be at least 21 years of age to be able to volunteer as a PACA. Your birthday must have been over before the polling day.
3. Can I sign up if I'm not Malaysian?
No, you have to be a Malaysian in order to be an agent. However, if you will like to find out how you can help out in other ways, check with your preferred candidate's choice.
4. How do I sign up to be a PACA?
Get in touch with the candidate in your voting area. They will be able to point you in the right direction.
If you are not sure of who to talk to or where to go, you can also sign up here.
5. What are my responsibilities as a polling agent or counting agent?
Polling agents are to observe the polling process which will take place from 8am - 5pm. Counting agents will be required to observe the counting process which will take place from 5pm - 7pm.
You can find out more details at a PACA training.
6. Do I need to commit to volunteering the whole day?
You don't have to. Depending on the candidate's preference, there should be a minimum of two shifts scheduled.
If there are more volunteers in the vicinity, the shifts will be shorter and more flexible. However, where there is a lack of volunteers, then the shifts will be longer.
Different shifts are allocated to allow volunteers to also vote in their respective locations.
7. When and where does the PACA training take place?
You can look out for training sessions via Facebook. A number of political parties and candidates do conduct their own training.
If you are not sure of how to look this up, you can try getting in touch with INVOKE and they will point you in the right direction.
8. What else can I do to help?
Each candidate will definitely need plenty of help during the campaign. It is recommended to get in touch with the candidate in your area to find out more.
"Politicians nowadays would always be happy to have social media or tech savvy individuals to help with the campaign. If you enjoy socialising, then joining them on walkabouts to distribute flyers and talk to people to address the needs of the community is something you could help out in," former operations officer of the Member of Parliment, Kelana Jaya told to SAYS.
To find out more information, you can head here or email [email protected]