Election Day is 19 Nov: Here's What You Need to Know Now About GE15

If you’ve already checked that your name has been included in the electoral roll using our handy guide, you might be thinking about what else is left to know about the upcoming elections. It is certainly important to ensure that you are educated and informed about matters pertaining to GE15, as you will be doing your part to shape the future of the country.

To get some information on this, we spoke to Raja Ahmad Iskandar Fareez, the Communications Director of the Research for Social Advancement (REFSA), which is a think-tank dedicated to progressive socioeconomic policies for Malaysia. He is also the Publicity Secretary of Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) Federal Territory, the youth wing of the Democratic Action Party and he kindly obliged to answering our burning questions.

What should the rakyat do now?

You will concurrently learn about outgoing Parliamentary representatives (Members of Parliament) and State Representatives when you check on your voting details, voting constituency, and polling station on the Election Commission’s Portal. Those who are overseas, make sure you’ve registered for postal voting here. You can also read up on the FAQ.
Voters should take note that while the Parliament has dissolved, some states have not. According to reports, only BN-led states will dissolve their respective state assemblies. The PAS-led states of Terengganu, Kedah and Kelantan will not dissolve, while Pakatan Harapan- led states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Penang have earlier indicated that they will not dissolve simultaneously. Make sure to keep reading the news these next few weeks and constantly keep your eyes peeled for any developments. Parliamentary candidates for each state will be presented on November 5.
Early voting for civil servants is scheduled for November 15 and November 19 for the rest of us.

Postal voters deadline: October 23

Malaysians overseas who want to vote have until October 23 to register with the Election Commission.

We've previously already written a guide on how Malaysians overseas can register for postal voting. There's only two days left from tomorrow so we hope the site can hold all the voters overseas.

So far there are only 2,741 registered overseas voters according to the Election Commission.

Who Are The Political Parties Contending In GE15?

There are currently four coalitions that we're going to be voting made up of component parties. So, in essence parties with the same ideals gang up to form a gang to win more seats in Parliament:

Barisan Nasional: UMNO, MCA, MIC, and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS)
Pakatan Harapan: PKR, DAP, National Trust Party (Parti Amanah Negara), and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisatio (UPKO)
Perikatan Nasional: Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Malaysian People's Movement Party (GERAKAN), Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP)
Gerakan Tanah Air: Homeland Fighters' Party (PEJUANG), Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front (BERJASA), Malaysia Mighty Bumiputera Party (PUTRA), National Muslim Indian Alliance Party (IMAN)

Then there's the 7 wild cards who are still choosing a coalition: Parti Bangsa Malaysia, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), Parti Sosialis Malaysia, Parti Sarawak Bersatu, and Warisan Party.

At this point there is no concrete news about where they are going to side as negotiations for seats are underway.

The Anti-Hopping Law

The law was passed on October 5 and prohibits a Member of Parliament (MPs) from jumping ship. This was largely the cause of the collapse of our previous government when party members defected from Pakatan Harapan.

Under the law, MPs will lose their Parliamentary Seats if they choose to jump to another party. Exceptions will be given to MPs who are sacked by their party or if their party is dissolved or deregistered.

There is some loopholes that have to be considered though and it's covered here.

How can people volunteer for GE15?

There are many opportunities for interested individuals to volunteer in the upcoming elections.

Most commonly, they can volunteer with candidates running in this election. Unfortunately, there are no one-stop platforms with the necessary profile and contact details. Potential volunteers will have to keep a lookout for candidate nomination announcements by the parties of their choice to find out more about whom they can volunteer for. Otherwise, head over to the respective parties’ websites or social media pages to contact the relevant persons in charge. Political parties are on the constant lookout for polling or counting agents (PACA) to assist the candidates on election day.
If volunteering with political parties is not your cup of tea, there are other avenues where you can participate, such as:
Apply with the Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) to become election observers or Pemantau Pilihan Raya (PEMANTAU) to ensure the process is conducted in a clean and fair manner.
Participate in initiatives to assist voters in returning home to cast their ballot like #PulangMengundi, #UndiRabu, #CarpoolGE15, and #KitaJagaKita.
Get involved in campaigns to bring back postal votes such as Vote Malaysia by UNDI18.

What Young Voters Should Know

There will be 14 days of campaigning, starting from November 5 after each party has nominated candidates.
Nominations are done via a selection committee and will be announced by each party.
Unfortunately, there is no centrally-located list of all nominated candidates but the Election Commission website will have the full list of confirmed candidates.
Try to use that time to learn more about the candidate running in your constituency and the political party that they represent.
Make sure not to take this matter lightly and exercise your right to vote as this is your chance to choose a government that best suits your ideals, values, and that shares your vision of the future.

What Were The Political Parties' Strategies For Winning In Previous Elections?

Historically, BN has relied on a low turnout rate to get the upper hand. One instance was when our former Prime Minister Najib Razak intentionally set a midweek polling date - on a Wednesday (9 May 2018) during GE14 to suppress the voter turnout.

Lower turnouts due to strict COVID-19 restrictions in past state elections of Melaka and Johor also proved to be beneficial towards BN. There are now rumours that United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and BN are trying to replicate the same conditions by calling a general election in the midst of a monsoon season.
PH, on the other hand, tends to benefit from a higher turnout, where swing voters play a larger role. In 2018, the coalition’s appeal towards middle-ground voters paid off when GE14 saw a record-high turnout of more than 82% of those registered on the electoral roll. Naturally, this time around, parties in the coalition will mobilise their supporters to encourage fence-sitters to cast their ballots.

Ask everyone you know to vote. We think fence-sitters are ~~the actual worst~~ detrimental in the practise of democracy, but if you know anyone who is undecided just encourage them lightly to vote.