Nov 4 by-election for Jepak

The Election Commission (EC) has set Nov 4 as polling day for the Jepak state by-election in Sarawak.

It has also set Oct 21 as the nomination day, while early voting is on Oct 31.

The dates were announced by EC deputy chairman Azmi Sharom at a press conference called after a special meeting on the by-election at Menara SPR in Putrajaya today.

He said the campaigning period for the by-election was set for 14 days, starting after the declaration of the candidates on nomination day until 11.59pm on Nov 3.

The electoral roll that would be used for the Jepak by-election is the one updated until Sept 15, 2023, which contains 22,804 voters, consisting of 22,761 ordinary voters and 43 police personnel, he added.

Azmi said the Jepak state by-election is expected to cost the government RM2 million.

It will be held following the death of its incumbent, Talib Zulpilip, 72, on Sept 15 due to kidney complications. He had been the Jepak Assemblyman for six terms since 1996.

Jepak is in the Bintulu parliamentary constituency.

Azmi said Balai Raya Kampung Jepak, Bintulu, will be used as the nomination centre and the official vote tallying centre for the Jepak by-election, and that the EC has appointed a returning officer, who will be assisted by three assistant returning officers, to oversee the by-election.

The EC has also appointed a total of 446 officers to oversee the by-election process, he added.

He said two election enforcement teams will be set up to monitor campaigning activities throughout the by-election, and the members will comprise representatives from the police, the local government authorities, and representatives of competing candidates.

The Jepak state by-election will have 15 polling stations, involving 46 polling streams, with one of the stations for early voting.

Voters are advised to check their voting information at https://mysprsemak.spr.gov.my, the MySPR Semak application, or by calling the EC hotline at 03-8892 7018/7218/7124, which will be opened starting this Oct 16.

Regarding the applications for postal voters, it is open from today, and the closing date is Oct 18 for category 1A (election officials, EC members/officers, police, military, and media personnel); Oct 4 for category 1B (Malaysian citizens who are abroad); and Oct 9 for category 1C (agencies/organisations).

"Applications for postal ballots for categories 1A, 1B, and 1C should be done online," said Azmi, who also advised potential candidates for the by-election to fill out the nomination form and do an initial check with the office of the returning officer or the Sarawak election office prior to nomination day.

Azmi said applications are also open to quarters, including government agencies and NGOs, interested in becoming observers to see the process of the Jepak by-election.

Election observers are allowed to observe the election process, such as nominations, campaigning, early voting, and polling day, as well as vote counting and tallying.

Applicants can visit the EC's website at https://www.spr.gov.my/ for further information and to download the application form. The closing date to apply is Oct 9.