EC deputy chairman Azmi Sharom said new voters listed on the Jan 14 electoral roll,. especially those aged 18 and above, would be eligible to vote at any current election.

The objection period would be be an obstacle.

Azmi said the six-month period was to allow voters to review their personal details and make corrections or changes, and to allow objections to be heard –“for example, if someone claims that a registered voter had lied and did not actually live in the voting district”.

If the objection is upheld, the voter will be placed in their original constituency, he told FMT in an email response.

He said the review and objection period was six months, instead of two months as in the past, because of the massive number of voters on the rolls. The 5.7 million figure includes new voters and those who had applied to change their constituencies.

In future, the review and objection period would be one month from the date the list is gazetted, he said.

He said those who turn 18 will automatically be placed on the electoral roll by the middle of the month following their birthday.

In the past, the new electoral roll was gazetted only every quarter.

He said there would be 756,247 new voters for the coming Johor state assembly elections, of whom 176,618 are aged between 18 and 20 years.

“The total number of voters in Johor now is 2,599,797. Only those whose names are in the gazetted electoral roll on the dates Parliament or state assemblies are dissolved can cast their votes,” he added.