EC: Boundary correction legal under election laws

Changing a person's voting constituency due to a boundary correction exercise is provided for under the election laws, said the Election Commission (EC).

According to its website, "correcting electoral boundaries without moving the actual location of the voter" is among the types of changes provided for under section 7 of the Election Act 1958.

Section 7 deals with the division of constituencies.

This is what isaffecting Selangor MB Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, previously a Petaling Jaya Selatan voter who must now vote in neighbouring Lembah Pantai after a boundary correction exercise.

The EC on Thursdayexplained that Jalan 16/2, where the MB is registered, was erroneously delineated as part of Petaling Jaya Selatan, when official state boundaries locate it in Lembah Pantai in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

Electoral boundaries ‘synchronising' put off

This does not however affect Khalid's position as MB as his identity card (IC) states his home address as being in Pasir Tuntung, Kuala Selangor. The legal requirement is based on the IC.

The EC had until 2011 tried to synchronise electoral boundaries with official state boundaries, but decided to postpone it to after the general election due to "public confusion".

The website states the exercise will, among others, "convenience voters as they will be nearer to the polling centres", and avoid "congestion on polling day".