By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, May 13 — After the poor turnout at the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election on Saturday, Institute Darul Ehsan (IDE) Research Centre said intensified efforts are needed to encourage voters to cast their ballots.
The think tank in a Facebook post today said the low turnout was primarily due to youngsters not voting, with less than 55 per cent participating in the by-election.
“Efforts to intensify awareness for voter participation must be enhanced. The voter turnout figures stand at 63 per cent for Malays, 63 per cent for Chinese, and 57 per cent for Indians.
“Voters aged 41 and above recorded the highest turnout, with over 60 per cent casting their ballots, while the youth demographic recorded the lowest participation at 55 per cent, involving 15,430 voters,” it said.
IDE concluded that the voter turnout for the Kuala Kubu Baharu polls was notably low, with only 61.5 per cent of eligible voters casting their ballots, representing a turnout rate of 7.7 per cent. In contrast, voter participation in the 15th general election was at its highest at 76.9 per cent.
It said various factors contributed to the outcome of the by-election, including reduced voting interest among youth whose parents do not live in Kuala Kubu Baharu.
On May 11, the Election Commission (EC) announced Pang Sock Tao from Pakatan Harapan had claimed victory with a majority of 3,869 votes, or 14,000 total votes, with Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Khairul Azhari Saut receiving 10,131 votes.
Two other candidates, Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Hafizah Zainuddin and Independent Nyau Ke Xin, garnered 152 and 188 votes, respectively, meaning they lost their deposits.
A lower voter turnout of 61.51 per cent (24,471 voters) was recorded, as opposed to 69.25 per cent (27,709 voters) in the 2023 Selangor state election.
According to the EC’s latest data, Kuala Kubu Baharu has 40,226 eligible voters, comprising ordinary voters, police personnel, military personnel and their spouses, and one overseas absentee voter.
The by-election was held following the death of Lee Kee Hiong on March 21 due to cancer.
