A young voter’s excitement to cast his ballot for the first time turned into disappointment after he was informed that his name had already been marked as having voted at a polling centre in Senawang on Saturday.
Politeknik Port Dickson student Afif Hakimi Razali, 20, said he was shocked when Election Commission (EC) officials told him his name had been crossed off the voter list despite him not having cast his vote.
He said he arrived at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Senawang at about noon and was informed of the issue after presenting his identification card.
“I was surprised because I had not voted yet. I tried to seek an explanation from the officers there, but they could not provide further details and only asked me to leave,” he said when met by Sinar Harian together with his former teacher, Zulkifli Muhamed.
Afif said the EC officials advised him to lodge a police report if he was dissatisfied with the situation.
The first-time voter later contacted his mother and former teacher for advice before deciding to share his experience with the media.
He expressed disappointment as he had been looking forward to participating in the election and had been preparing for the moment for the past week.
Afif said he believed a mistake may have occurred after checking two voter record books and finding that his name was only marked in one of them.
The eldest child said he had attended the polling centre alone as his parents and younger brother were assigned to a different polling location.
He added that he would lodge a report as he wanted the matter to be investigated and hoped similar incidents would not happen to other voters in the future.
“I will not allow this matter to be ignored because I feel my rights as a voter have been affected,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zulkifli expressed disappointment over the incident and questioned the response from EC officials, saying they should have provided clearer assistance and explanations.
He said such incidents could potentially affect young voters’ confidence in the electoral system if not properly addressed.
