PETALING JAYA: Melaka’s Gen Z voters could prove to be the wildcard in several seats on Nov 14.
The group, which refers to people aged 18 to 26, made up one in five of Melaka’s eligible voters during the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022.
The figures come from an analysis of Election Commission data compiled by ElectionData.MY.
Melaka’s Gen Z first voted at GE15, after the Undi18 initiative lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 and introduced automatic voter registration.
Their share varies widely across Melaka’s 28 state seats.
Paya Rumput has the highest proportion of Gen Z, with 12,017 voters aged 18 to 26 making up 29% of its 41,144 eligible voters in GE15.
Durian Tunggal and Tanjung Bidara follow at 24% each, while Ayer Molek has 23%.
At the other end, Bandar Hilir has the lowest share at 9%, followed by Kota Laksamana at 11%.
The seats with the highest proportions of Gen Z voters, including Paya Rumput, Durian Tunggal, Tanjung Bidara and Ayer Molek, are largely held by Barisan Nasional.
Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir, which have the lowest proportions, are held by Pakatan Harapan.
Across the state, Gen Z voters formed the second-largest age group after those aged 27 to 39, who numbered 190,956, or 29% of the electorate.
Together, voters aged 18 to 39 made up 49% of the electorate, underlining the potential influence of younger voters in the coming polls.
