The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) has recommended that the campaign period be extended to 21 days.

Campaigning typically lasts for up to 15 days with one day for polling. The shortest campaign period was seven and a half days, in the 2004 general election.

“According to statistics, the number of new voters is expected to increase by 10,000 to 50,000 voters across each of the 222 parliamentary seats in more than 190 constituencies nationwide.

“Therefore, extending the campaigning period will help the EC prepare for the surge in voter turnout,” KLSCAH said in a statement.

It added that with the full implementation of the two initiatives, the number of eligible new voters aged 18 and above would reach more than 5.8 million.

A total of 21.1 million Malaysians are eligible to vote in the upcoming election.

It also said sufficient on-duty staff and police presence were needed to ensure the election was conducted more efficiently.

The NGO recommended that the EC set up special polling centres in each constituency to process the ballots of outstation voters, adding that this would allow them to vote without the hassle of travelling back to their hometowns using money out of their own pockets.

KLSCAH also called on the EC to consider the possibility of allowing eligible overseas voters to digitally download their ballots from the commission’s official website.

“This is to simplify the application procedure for overseas postal votes, and to save unnecessary expenses incurred in the printing of postal ballots,” it said.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is currently heading a caretaker government, announced the dissolution of Parliament. This means the nation will go to the polls within 60 days.

The dates for nominations and polling will be decided by the EC.