JOHOR BAHRU, July 11 — A total of 42.16 per cent or 1,130,980 out of more than 2.6 million voters have cast their ballots in the 16th Johor state election as of 1pm today.
The Election Commission (EC), in a post on Facebook, said the Semarang and Sedili constituencies recorded the highest voter turnout at 50.5 per cent each, followed by Tanjung Surat at 48.6 per cent.
Penggaram constituency recorded the lowest voter turnout at 32.2 per cent, while Bentayan and Simpang Jeram recorded 32.6 per cent and 35.2 per cent respectively.
For comparison, voter turnout for the same period during the 15th Johor state election stood at 34.51 per cent, or 888,605 people, out of more than 2.5 million voters.
Earlier, when met at the polling centre at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bandar Uda Utama in the Perling constituency, EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said he hoped the momentum would continue throughout the day.
Ramlan said rain in several areas, including Muar, Kluang and Johor Bahru, could dampen voter turnout later in the day.
"As a result of the rain, we expect some disruption to voter turnout. But we can still achieve around 65 to 70 per cent," he said.
On the polling process, Ramlan said the EC had not received any reports of serious incidents so far, with only minor election-related offences recorded.
Overall, as of last night, a total of 799 reports had been received, of which 96 cases were under police investigation, while the remainder involved the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and other election offences, including the unauthorised display of campaign posters.
"The cases under police investigation will be left to the police to handle," he said.
He also dismissed claims that voters wearing certain attire, such as shorts, were barred from casting their ballots.
"There is no issue regarding a dress code, as it is not provided for under the election laws," he said.
For the latest news on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor.
