LETTERS: With merely 53.6 per cent of overall voter turnout during the recent Johor state election, potentially there could well be only 14 per cent of young Johoreans under 30 (about 103,732 out of 740,945) who cast their vote.
According to the Election Commission of Malaysia (EC), 28.53 per cent out of 2,597,742 eligible Johorean voters are under 30 years old; 173,177 Johoreans (6.67 per cent) are between 18-20 years old; and 567,768 voters (21.86 per cent) are between 21-29 years old.
Notwithstanding, some non-profit organisations (NGOs) such as Undi Johor and the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) Youth assisted voters living outside of Johor to fulfil their democratic duty and vote in the Johor state election.
However, the outreach efforts were limited — either some Johoreans (including those staying in the city centre of Johor Baru) were not aware of their eligibility to vote or had no clue about the voting process.
Many young Johoreans also do not have a clear and distinct idea of the ideologies of the various parties, what policies they will bring to the table and what initiatives they intend to implement to help young Johoreans.
Moreover, some young Johoreans working or studying in other states or countries either chose not to go home casting their votes during polling day or not arrange postal voting before the deadline on Feb18.
Rising Covid-19 cases during recent weeks and financial barriers to travel back to their respective hometown constituencies are among the factors which deterred them from voting.
As a result, only 7,824 Malaysians overseas registered as postal voters for the 2022 Johor state election.
Some state constituencies nearby Singapore like Puteri Wangsa, Johor Jaya and Kota Iskandar recorded the lowest voter turnout at 46.94 per cent, 51.58 per cent and 48.72 per cent, respectively.
Therefore, to increase the awareness of the importance of voting among eligible young voters under 30 nationwide, the EC could educate urban and rural Malaysian youths on why votes matter by conducting roadshows, seminars and workshops.
Youths may be unaware of how their votes could influence policymaking and the impact on the next generation(s) to come.
Continuous efforts in spurring the young to be involved in the democratic process would motivate them to vote for a better future for Malaysia.
AMANDA YEO
Research Analyst
EMIR Research
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times