They said it was not only exciting, but was also a nervous experience knowing that their choices will have a bearing on the direction of the state’s future.

Amiera Nabila Mohd Shahrin, 28, Iskandar Shah, 27, and Amiera Nur Syafiqah, 23, said carrying out their democratic obligation was a fulfilling experience.

They were also among the earliest voters to arrive at the polling centre at Dewan Kampung Melayu Majidee at 8.20am to cast their ballots for the Larkin state seat.

According to Iskandar who works in Singapore, he returned to Johor on March 2 just to fulfil his responsibility.

“I have been working in Singapore for about two years now and I have never voted before. Now that I have cast my vote, I will return to Singapore,” he told FMT.

Meanwhile, Amiera Nur Syafiqah admitted that she was nervous when marking her ballot papers today.

“While there was understandably a sense of excitement, I admit that I was also a little nervous,” she said.

As for Amiera Nabila, she said it was a great feeling and urged all young people to fulfil their democratic responsibility by voting.

With the Undi18 and automatic voter registration (AVR) being implemented for the first time, Johor recorded an increase of almost 30% in new voters, or 749,731 of the 2,539,606 eligible voters.