Mustapha said the precedent had been set during the 15th general election when postal voting was expanded to Malaysians in Singapore and southern Thailand.

“This initiative proved that the postal voting system can be expanded to ensure fairer access for all voters.

“Considering that more than 200,000 Sabahans work and study in Peninsular Malaysia alone, I urge that the same principle be applied in the upcoming state election,” he said in a statement today.

In 2022, it was reported that the EC had no plans to expand postal voting for East Malaysian voters residing in Peninsular Malaysia.

The current Sabah government has until October before the state assembly must be dissolved to make way for the election.

The Sepanggar MP said that voting is a fundamental democratic right, but costly airfare and logistical difficulties prevent many Sabahans from returning home to vote.

“While the government has taken steps to address this issue, such as introducing subsidies for one-way economy class flight tickets exceeding RM599 from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan during festive seasons, a long-term solution is needed to ensure Sabahans are not burdened when returning home to vote,” he said.

Besides postal voting, Mustapha  urged the EC to explore online voting with strict security measures and designated polling stations outside Sabah.

These polling centres, in particular, would “allow Sabahans to cast their votes at designated polling centres in major cities across Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak without needing to return to Sabah”, he said.