SHAH ALAM, Sept 9 — The Election Commission (EC) may expand the use of digital voter verification for future elections if it finds the technology results in a more efficient voting process, according to a report by The Star.
EC implemented the pilot Optical Character Recognition-Voter Attendance (OCR-VA) system during the Negeri Sembilan election at seven streams in Ampangan.
The system uses MyKad to automatically register voter attendance, with the aim of streamlining verification and providing real-time monitoring of voter turnout.
“The system functioned well and successfully recorded voter attendance digitally through MyKad scans,” the English daily quoted EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun as saying.
Ramlan said findings from the pilot are being assessed in terms of technical operations, data security, system integrity and user experience.
“If the evaluation demonstrates the system added value to election management, EC will consider broader implementation,” he added, but said it is too early to confirm whether the system would be used in the 16th General Election (GE16).
“Should the OCR-VA system be deployed in future state polls like in Melaka or Sarawak, EC will ensure all stakeholders are thoroughly briefed.”
Ramlan said the pilot, conducted at SMA Dato’ Klana Petra Maamor, helped cut out manual procedures such as locating voters’ names and recording attendance on physical electoral rolls.
“Technical analysis is ongoing to measure exact time saved, staff productivity, and overall system effectiveness.
“We are examining international experiences, technological developments, security, integrity and public readiness,” he said, stressing that maintaining public confidence remains a key consideration.
On the digitalisation of overseas postal voting, Ramlan said EC has yet to make a decision but will keep exploring ways to modernise and improve electoral procedures.
