KLUANG (July 7): The race for Johor’s 56 assembly seats saw strong turnout for early voting, surpassing that of the last state election.

Turnout reached 95% at the end of early polling on Tuesday, compared with the 87% achieved in the 2022 state election, according to Election Commission (EC) data. All ballot boxes from the early voting exercise will now be stored at police stations and will only be opened for counting after voting ends at 5pm on polling day this Saturday.

According to the EC, 19,471 early voters cast their ballots, comprising military personnel, police officers, members of the General Operations Force, and their respective spouses.

A total of 62 early voting centres opened across Johor on Tuesday. Of these, 29 centres closed at noon, five closed at 2pm and the remaining 28 centres ceased operations at 5pm.

Heavy rain in parts of southern Johor in the morning did little to dampen voter turnout. Some voters were already queueing up outside polling centres before they opened at 8am, The Edge observed.

Campaign battles have now become more prominent across several parts of Johor Bahru, with party flags lining major roads and candidates stepping up their final outreach efforts ahead of election day on July 11 for the wider Johoreans.

At Puteri Wangsa (N.41), 198 Royal Malaysian Police personnel cast their ballots at the Balai Polis Dato' Onn early voting centre. The seat has emerged as one of the state's most closely watched battlegrounds due to its intense contest between established political parties and newer political forces seeking to expand their influence.

PKR's Dr Maszlee Malik, a former education minister, is attempting to return the seat to Pakatan Harapan (PH), which ceded the seat to the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) during the 2022 state election. Maszlee said the response he had received from voters throughout the campaign "had exceeded expectations, particularly among younger voters".

"As I've said before, the response has been beyond expectations," he told The Edge at the polling centre. “It is far better than what we initially anticipated.”

Young voters are often underestimated, said Maszlee, adding many have developed their own political views and voting preferences rather than simply following political narratives.

Observations on the ground showed PH flags were particularly visible in parts of Bandar Dato' Onn and surrounding areas, although campaign materials from rival parties were also present in the surrounding areas.

Puteri Wangsa is witnessing a five-cornered contest involving Maszlee, Muda's Rashifa Aljunied, Bersama candidate Nicholas Paul Vincent, BN-MCA's Teow Chia Ling and independent candidate Wang Wee Siong. The seat currently houses 128,723 registered voters, comprising 35.8% Malays, 51.4% Chinese, 10.1% Indians and 2.7% from other communities.

Unlike Puteri Wangsa, where opposition parties are competing aggressively for the same pool of voters, the nearby constituency Larkin (N.44) appears to remain a more favourable battleground for BN. A total of 814 early voters are registered in the constituency.

Campaign materials supporting BN were noticeably more visible in several areas, while conversations with residents suggested incumbent Mohd Hairi Mad Shah continues to benefit from his strong presence in the area. Mohd Hairi is defending the seat against Suhaizan Kaiat of PH-Amanah and Norsinah Abu of Bersama.

"I am grateful that, out of every 10 voters we meet, perhaps five are open to accepting a new party and a new spirit," Norsinah said when met at South Johor Bahru District Police Headquarters. "We are targeting fence-sitters and young voters. However, I also hope to gain support from voters aged 40 and above who want to see change.”

Larkin has 76,662 registered voters, comprising 63.2% Malays, 26.7% Chinese, 6.7% Indians and 3.4% from other communities. Many residents had expressed hopes for improvements in the constituency in terms of infrastructure and facilities, Norsinah said.

Early voting centres opened simultaneously at 8am on Tuesday and will close in stages between noon and 6pm, depending on their location and the number of registered voters. Ordinary voters will cast their ballots on July 11.

Find out all you need to know about the 2026 Johor election here.