Aminuddin questions EC’s pilot voter verification system

 The Negeri Sembilan PH chairman says the trial, carried out at one polling station, should have been discussed with candidates beforehand.

Incumbent Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Aminuddin Harun expressed concern the new system could delay polling and frustrate voters at the chosen polling station.

SEREMBAN:

Negeri Sembilan Pakatan Harapan chairman Aminuddin Harun has raised concerns over the Election Commission’s pilot implementation of a new voter verification system, saying it should have been discussed with the candidates beforehand.

Aminuddin, who is contesting the Linggi seat in today’s election, said the new system, implemented at only one polling centre, could slow the polling process and frustrate voters there.

“We do not know what is being introduced or whether it will actually help.

“We are worried that this could disrupt voting today. It may slow things down and people could become angry,” the PKR vice-president told reporters after casting his ballot at Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Raja Melewar this morning.

The EC is piloting the optical character recognition-voter attendance (OCR-VA) system at the Sekolah Menengah Agama Dato’ Klana Petra Maamor polling centre in Ampangan, from polling streams one to seven.

The system automatically scans information on the voters’ MyKad to record their attendance, replacing manual marking.

The EC has said it is intended to speed up voter verification, reduce manual errors, and improve polling efficiency, adding that it does not record how people vote or compromise ballot secrecy.

PH’s Ampangan candidate, Nazri Kassim, also questioned the timing of the pilot project, saying none of the candidates had been informed about it. - FMT