YONG PENG: The Election Commission (EC) should review last-minute changes to polling locations that affected many voters, says Barisan Nasional's Yong Peng candidate Ling Tian Soon.
He said the move affected more than 1,000 voters and caused unnecessary inconvenience on polling day.
Ling said many voters in the Yong Peng constituency had turned up at their usual polling centres only to discover that their voting locations had been changed just days before polling.
"This is uncalled for. More than 1,000 voters were affected, and many of them, especially senior citizens, had to make unnecessary trips because they went to the wrong polling centre.
"We helped them check the polling locations last week, but when they checked again today at the polling centre, some had been changed.
“Some voters who had always voted at one polling centre were suddenly told to vote at another.
‘This should not happen at the last minute," he told reporters after accompanying MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who cast his ballot at SK Yong Peng, one of the 13 polling centres in the constituency, on Saturday (July 11).
Ling said the EC should conduct a thorough review of the matter to ensure similar incidents do not recur.
"We hope the EC will improve its procedures. Last-minute changes only complicate the voting process and inconvenience the people," he said.
Dr Wee, meanwhile, said voting across MCA-contested seats had generally proceeded smoothly, with no major incidents reported.
"From the information we have received since this morning, the voting process has been orderly and the democratic process has gone smoothly," he said.
He attributed heavy traffic in parts of Johor to ongoing roadworks, noting that his journey from Johor Baru to Yong Peng took about three hours.
Dr Wee also expressed hope that voter turnout would increase in the afternoon after morning showers eased.
"Many voters came out between 8am and 10am, and some areas experienced moderate rain.
"Hopefully, more people will come out to vote this afternoon," he said.
