KLUANG: A total of 1,742 early voters have cast their ballots for the Mahkota state seat, reflecting a significant increase in turnout compared to the 15th General Election (GE15).
Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said that as of 10am today, early voting turnout had reached 35.47 per cent, a sharp rise from the 18.6 per cent recorded at the same time during GE15.
"This is a promising start. Based on the current trend and favourable weather, we are optimistic that early voter turnout could surpass 90 per cent by the end of the day," he said after visiting the polling centre at Dewan Mahkota in Mahkota Camp today.
Ramlan also projected an overall voter turnout of around 70 per cent for the by-election on Sept 28, aligning with the turnout seen in the recent Nenggiri by-election in Kelantan last month.
"We expect over 70 per cent turnout for this by-election, in line with the trend of higher voter participation during by-elections. We encourage all eligible voters in Mahkota to come forward and exercise their civic duty," he said.
In total, 4,911 early voters are registered in Mahkota, consisting of military personnel and their spouses.
Additionally, 401 police personnel and their spouses are casting their early votes at Dewan Zamrud, located at the Kluang district police headquarters.
Of these, 3,865 voters are casting their ballots at eight polling stations in Dewan Mahkota, Mahkota Camp, while another 645 voters from Batu 3 Camp are voting at two channels at SK Sultan Sir Ibrahim.
Polling centres opened at 8am and will remain open until 5pm.