C Tamill, 57, an engineer at a steel factory in the republic, rushed to the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Taman Bukit Indah polling station here to cast his ballot paper as he had to start work at 2pm.

“I finished voting at 9 this morning. I didn’t expect it to rain so heavily and I forgot to bring my raincoat along.

“Usually, on Saturdays and Sundays, I would work overtime.

“That’s why I got ready early in the morning and went to vote first before going to work this afternoon. Voting is an obligation,” said the resident of Taman Nusa Bestari when met at the polling station.

The father of two said he had been working in Singapore for over 10 years, riding his motorcycle.

Meanwhile, a financial officer at a private company in Singapore, Tan Hui Huan, 45, said she had no problem voting today as Saturday and Sunday were her days off.

“I have been working in Singapore for over 20 years and I have never missed voting.

“Today, it rained heavily and I had to bring my mother along to vote. Luckily, the Election Commission staff helped and escorted us inside,” she said.

Septuagenarian Na Ah Moy, who was in a wheelchair due to diabetes, also did not miss the opportunity to cast her ballot as early as 9am today.

“I have never missed voting, only this time I can’t walk because my left leg was amputated last year due to diabetes,” said Na, 70.

A survey found that despite the heavy rain, there had been a steady turnout of voters at this polling station, the biggest in the Pulai parliamentary constituency.

EC staff used umbrellas to escort voters into the polling centre.