KUALA KUBU BAHARU (May 11): Polling for the Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) by-election saw 55.79% voter turnout as at 4pm on Saturday, as observers kept an eye on whether it could breach the 68.3% turnout seen in the 2023 Selangor state polls.
The state seat located in the northeast of Selangor saw 68.3% of its voters turning up at the polling stations in the 2023 state polls, slightly lower than the state's average of 72%, according to Election Commission data.
Voter turnout has been dubbed by analysts as a key determinant of the by-election outcome for the mixed seat, with 46.9% of its voters being Malay, followed by Chinese (30.3%) and Indian (17.8%).
A noticeable trend was the absence of young voters in the sleepy town that is over an hour's drive away from the Kuala Lumpur city centre, hinting towards subdued voter turnout, The Edge observed. Voters aged 18 to 39 make up the bulk of KKB's voter base (47.6%), followed by the 40-69 age group (32.5%), and those aged 60 and above (20%).
At Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Khing Ming, there were no long queues of people voting outside the school, only sporadic visits from some elderly.
A vendor, who wished to be only known as Ng, expressed her hope to elect a candidate with a good service record. When asked further about which candidate she voted for, she only said that "voting is a secret".
Earlier at the Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Rasa polling station, some voters were still waiting outside the school to fulfil their responsibilities. This centre predominantly consists of Chinese voters, where over 5,000 Chinese voters are eligible to cast their ballots.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) have visibly set up booths outside the school to assist voters in checking their information.
The voting process commenced at 8am, with all 18 polling stations scheduled to remain open until 6pm, except for Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Bukit Fraser, which closed at 2pm, catering to a smaller group of 40 voters.
A total of 40,226 voters are eligible to participate in the by-election, including 625 policemen, 238 armed forces personnel, and their spouses.
During early voting on Tuesday, 97% of the 769 police and military personnel, along with their spouses, cast their ballots.
The by-election features a four-way contest among Pang Sock Tao (PH), Khairul Azhari Saut (PN), Hafizah Zainuddin (Parti Rakyat Malaysia), and Nyau Ke Xin (an independent candidate).
Notably, none of the candidates will be voting as they are not registered voters in the constituency.
The KKB seat became vacant following the passing of its incumbent, DAP's Lee Kee Hiong, in March due to cancer. DAP, part of the unity government, has held the seat since 2013.
In the state election in August last year, Lee secured victory against challengers from PN, Parti Rakyat Malaysia, and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, retaining the seat for the third consecutive term with a majority of 4,119 votes.