BN faces challenge of ‘Undi18’, automatic voter registration, says Melaka CM

The Barisan Nasional (BN) party in Malaysia faces a significant challenge ahead of the upcoming Melaka state polls due to the implementation of the Undi18 voter registration system and the automatic voter registration system, according to Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh. These changes took effect on December 15, 2021, one month after the last Melaka state election.

Ab Rauf Yusoh, speaking at the launch of the BN election machinery in Alor Gajah, highlighted that the party's traditional methods of voter registration and registration of existing voters are no longer sufficient to maintain their support in the face of these new voters. The automatic voter registration system has registered not only young voters aged 18 to 20 but also all adults who had never voted before, making it difficult for the party to gauge their support in various areas.

The BN's loss in Alor Gajah during the last general election (GE15) in November 2022, where they failed to win the parliamentary seat, can be attributed to these new voters who were automatically registered. Ab Rauf Yusoh pointed out that they were unaware of who these new voters were or where they came from, which contributed to the party's defeat.

Despite securing a resounding victory in the 2021 state polls, where they won 21 out of the 28 contested seats and formed the state government, the BN could not replicate this success in GE15, where they lost all six parliamentary seats they contested. The Election Commission has set November 14 as the polling day for the Melaka polls, with nominations due on October 31 and early voting set for November 10.