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Election Commission commissioner Zoe Randhawa talks to Star journalists Rahimy Rahim and Ragananthini Vethasalam about the introduction of the OCR-VA for the Melaka polls.
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00:05Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of Bowl Position. I'm your host Raga and this is
00:10my co-host Rahimi Rahim. Hello. So today we'll be taking a break from politics and we'll be
00:16discussing something interesting which is digitizing the electoral process. So the
00:22election commission is coming up with the new system known as the OCRVA or Optical Character
00:28Recognition and Verification Assistant which will be rolled out at a large scale in the upcoming
00:34Melaka polls and with this system, voters' attendance will be recorded digitally. So to help us understand
00:43the system better and how it works, we have a very special guest in the studio today, Election
00:49Commission Commissioner, Madam Zoe Rendawa, who will help us unpack this entire system. So welcome to
00:59the show ma'am. Thank you very much. How are you feeling today? I'm feeling very good, looking forward
01:03to explaining this more. Okay, so let's dive in. What is the OCRVA and how does it work? So like
01:12you
01:12explained just now, the Optical Character Recognition Voter Attendance System is a way that we are using to
01:21digitally record voters' attendance at the polling stream during the Melaka state election which is
01:27coming up on November 14th. What's really important to note is that this OCRVA system isn't replacing the
01:35manual system of voting at all and voters are not going to see that much difference in the polling
01:40process on election day itself. What will happen is voters will first go into their polling stream
01:46and like they always have done, they will present their identity document like their IC to the first
01:53poll worker. The first poll worker will still check their election information on the electoral roll,
02:00still mark it off physically and then what will happen is the second poll worker will basically repeat
02:06a similar process digitally. So a mobile phone app will be used to scan the IC number on the identity
02:13document and that will search a digital database for the voter records and after that, after the system
02:20has shown that one they're eligible to vote in that polling stream and they haven't voted yet, the poll worker
02:27will submit their attendance into the digital database and then the voter will continue the process of voting as
02:33they always have done. They'll dip their finger in the ink, they will collect their ballot paper and vote in
02:38person.
02:38So it is just an additional process to help us record voter attendance.
02:44So why did SBR come up with this system?
02:47So the main reason is that it really helps us to make the process of collating and releasing data on
02:55voter
02:55turnout a lot more efficiently and accurately. The current process is pretty tedious, where the presiding
03:01officers in every single polling stream has to keep track of the number of issued ballots and then
03:07report back to SBR. We have to collect all the data from all the polling streams and then release it.
03:13What this does, it basically automates the process so that the voter attendance is kept track of in a
03:20real-time way. And this real-time running tally of voter turnout by constituency can now be released to the
03:26public in a live format on our dashboard SPR portal. So if voters or any stakeholders go to the
03:33dashboard.spr.gov.my portal during polling day, they can see the live running total of voter turnout
03:40by constituency there.
03:42Alright, so did you guys try a pilot project in Negri Simulan and how did it go?
03:49Yes, so we did a very small pilot project in Negri Simulan.
03:52It was only for a single polling station, seven polling streams in Wandun, Anpangan.
03:58Overall, that process went very smoothly. But the purpose of that pilot was really to sort of
04:06identify the workflow of how the system would work in the polling station, what equipment we might need,
04:12the voters experience with that system. So for example, through that pilot, we were able to identify
04:19that the best place for the system was after the poll worker, but before the voters dipped their finger
04:24in the ink. We trialled a few different ways of them using the system within the polling station.
04:29We also identified a few sort of technical and operational areas for improvement, which we're
04:34using for Malacca as well.
04:36That's interesting. Was the political party brief about this new system?
04:42Yes. So we always recognize that any change in any election processes needs the buy-in of all of
04:49our stakeholders. So especially when it involves technology, because it can be a system that raises
04:58more concern. So with that in mind, on the 28th of October in Malacca, we had a stakeholder engagement
05:04session for political parties, which went into this system in a lot of details. And the various political
05:11party representatives could raise their concerns. And our focus during that session was really to
05:16explain and to avoid confusion over why and how the system works. So it is not a process of replacing
05:24the physical method of voting that we have. It really is just a system to help us record voter
05:30attendance in a more efficient and accurate manner.
05:33What is the advantage of this system compared to the manual process that we've had for such a long time?
05:40Yeah. So like I said, there's a big advantage in voter turnout reporting and release. There's also
05:48the potential in the future that it can be more efficient and more accurate in the polling station
05:54itself to search for voter records and also to mark their attendance off. But that's a potential
06:00benefit in the future. And for SPR, we have to always be open to the possibility that technology can
06:07improve our election processes. We can't shy away from the use of technology. And in this instance,
06:13we've really found that it has a big potential to make some of our processes, which might have
06:17shortcomings in the past, really more efficient and more accurate. So we have to be willing to take
06:22that step. My understanding is that you need good internet connectivity for the system to work.
06:29What if it's being implemented in areas such as Sabah and Sarawak where connectivity is a problem? So
06:40how would this work in such situations?
06:44Yeah, that's a really good question. And it's something we're very aware of. The first thing is
06:49that the election process itself will not be affected if there are any technical glitches or
06:55internet glitches on the day, because it is only a process there to assist the manual and physical
07:00process that we have. So the polling process will go on as planned, whether there's glitches in the
07:06system where there's poor internet connectivity or not. But on top of that, this is something that
07:12the Election Commission has done for a number of years. We work very closely with MCMC in the months
07:17leading up to an election to monitor the connectivity levels in every single polling station. So any
07:23polling stations that are identified as having poor or even moderate internet connectivity,
07:29we take steps to boost connectivity on polling day itself. And another point is that
07:35the use of internet on election day in polling stations isn't a new thing. So the current
07:40system we have for reporting voter turnout date information has always has been used in the past.
07:46So the currently the presiding officers need internet connection to send the voter turnout
07:50data back to us for us to release it every hour. So internet connection has been important in the past,
07:57and it will be important in the future, but it will not affect the election process if there are
08:03glitches in the internet connection or any other technical areas.
08:07As with a lot of new systems, there has been some concerns over this.
08:12So what would you say to relay such concerns?
08:17Yeah, I think we recognise that, especially with technology, questions and concerns are going to
08:23arise from all stakeholders, right? Because there can be a black box of technology where you can't see the
08:30the actual system and the process fully because it happens through technology.
08:36That's right.
08:36There are a few things that we can we can do to alleviate these concerns. First of all,
08:41we can assure voters that we don't introduce technology just for technology's sake.
08:46There has to be a good reason for it. And it has to be that technology would be the best
08:51solution for
08:51that problem. And for example, in this case, we've really found that we believe that the
08:57voter attendance recording can really be helped by the use of technology. The second step is making
09:03sure that we've really put in all the necessary checks to make sure the system will work well,
09:10the data is secure, the voter experience will not be affected, or at least it will be affected
09:15positively, that the poll workers are trained effectively if they're going to be using the
09:20technology. So those sort of steps must be taken before we adopt technology. The last thing is really
09:25about transparency. So the transparency in terms of how we communicate about the system, how voters
09:31and stakeholders understand the system, but also at least to have transparency on polling day itself.
09:37So people, the stakeholders and voters and the candidate agents can really see the system in action.
09:43So we have election observers, candidate agents can be in any polling station, so they can see the
09:48system in action. And then they can provide us with feedback, which we always welcome on how the
09:53system works. That's great. So when can we expect it to be just Malacca fully utilized or Sarawak maybe?
09:59Yes. So the decision for now has been for Malacca. It will be used in all polling stations,
10:06in all 28 constituencies throughout the Malacca state election.
10:11That doesn't necessarily mean it will automatically be used for future elections. We have to see how
10:16the system works in Malacca, if it works well. And also we need to understand the maybe technical
10:21and operational aspects for the future elections. So just because we're rolling it out for all polling
10:27stations in Malacca, it doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to use it for Sarawak or G16.
10:33So Malacca will be a test case of sorts?
10:37Of sorts. It will mean that we need to still see this will be the first election where we've used
10:42it in all polling stations. We need to see how well it works, what glitches are, if it has any
10:49unforeseen consequences. So once we review the effectiveness in Malacca and also whether it will
10:56work in other cases. Other states might be different. A general election for the whole country might be
11:01different. So we need to make assessments on those considerations.
11:05For the voters and the men on the street who will be casting their votes soon,
11:10what would you tell them about this system?
11:12So, first of all, the system is not going to change the way you vote, okay? It is not going
11:19to change your physical ballot paper. It's not going to affect your voter secrecy. Your vote is
11:24still secret, okay? The only reason why we're introducing the system, and we really hope that
11:30voters enjoy the use of this system, where they can track the turnout of voters in their electorate.
11:36It is a consistent feature of election day, where people are asking what's the turnout,
11:43what's the turnout in this constituency, what's the turnout in that constituency. And now we're
11:46able to provide a live running total of voter turnout by constituency, if the system works well.
11:55So, will this expedite the process? I mean, when they go to vote, you know, because technology is
12:05taking care of one step already, so will this expedite the entire process and shorten the time taken?
12:11For Malacca, we don't expect it to shorten the voting process. One potential use in the future
12:19could be that because the way of searching the voter database will be done electronically,
12:25instead of flipping through the electoral roll, and also marking off the voter physically,
12:30in the future, it could speed up the process. But that is only a consideration for the future.
12:36At the moment, the physical electoral roll will still be used as the primary source of
12:42identifying a voter's attendance and recording their attendance. And this is just an additional
12:47step. But if it works well, and if it's more efficient, it might be a way that we can speed
12:53up the efficiency in the polling station itself, yes.
12:56So, would SPR conduct a post-mortem after the Malacca polls to see how effective the system has been?
13:03Yes. And we did that even for the very small pilot in Negri Semlam. We had a post-mortem and
13:09a report on
13:09its effectiveness, any considerations we need to take moving forward. So, definitely,
13:14we have to do that for Malacca as well and see if it can be implemented in future elections.
13:20Okay. So, for Sarawak, as of now, there's no decision on whether it's going to be used?
13:25Yes. No decision yet.
13:26Okay. So, coming to Sarawak, since there was a redelination exercise that was conducted recently,
13:35will it be ready in time for GE16?
13:39So, for the current exercise that we're doing in Sarawak, it's not completed yet.
13:46So, there are two factors that will basically depend on whether it's ready for GE16 or not. The first
13:54factor is when GE16 will be held. Parliament will automatically dissolve at the end of next
14:02year, December 2027. But, obviously, it could be dissolved earlier. A general election could be
14:09held earlier. So, we don't know when that will be. So, if it's called before we complete the process,
14:15then it won't be ready. The second factor is how long it takes SPR to complete the constitutionally
14:22required steps before it can take effect. So, right now, we are past the first display period. What
14:33happened was we put out a first display of the maps on the 1st of September, 2026. And from there,
14:39we have two years to complete the process and submit our report to the Prime Minister. We've had the first
14:45display. We've also received over 130 representations on those maps. The next step will be to have local
14:52inquiries on the eligible objections we received. After that, we review the maps. We do a second
14:58display for at least 30 days. After the 30 days, again, we will receive representations and we do
15:04another round of local inquiries. And after that, we will review the maps and submit our report to the
15:09Prime Minister. The latest state for that is 31st October, 2028. That doesn't necessarily mean we
15:16will take that time, but that's the timeframe we have. After we've submitted the report to the
15:20Prime Minister, our work is done, but the Prime Minister also has to table the report in the day
15:25one rocket and it has to pass in the day one rocket before it can take effect. That's a lot
15:29of steps.
15:30Yes. And these are steps that are all required under the federal constitution. So we have to follow the
15:36constitutional process. Is there another exercise due for Peninsula and Sabah?
15:42So there are two triggers for a redelineation exercise. One is if there is an amendment to the
15:49number of seats, either in the state legislatures or in parliament. So far, there hasn't been any
15:56amendments to any state legislature seats or parliamentary seats. The Sarawak exercise was
16:03triggered because they amended this number of seats from 82 to 99. The other trigger is if the period of
16:10eight years from the previous exercise has expired and SPR feels it is necessary to conduct another
16:17redelineation exercise. So for Peninsula Malaysia, that expired in March of this year, March 2026.
16:25So now the election commission could, if we deem it necessary, undertake a redelineation exercise for
16:32Peninsula Malaysia. There are certain issues with the current boundaries that we recognize need addressing,
16:39especially after automatic voter registration and UNDI 18. The numbers of voters and the distribution of
16:46voters around Peninsula Malaysia has shifted drastically. For example, Bangi now has over 300,000 voters.
16:54So these areas are quite unmanageable and we recognize there's an issue that needs to be addressed there.
17:00But no official process has started for SPR, right? So what for under that process where we complete,
17:07where we do a process without a change in the number of seats, the process starts once we release the
17:13first display of the maps. And that process hasn't started yet at all. So whether it will be ready for
17:19GE 16 or not, again, that goes back to the answer to the previous question. When will GE 16 be?
17:25How long
17:26it would take us to complete a constitutionally required process? Right, right. Okay. Yeah, automatic
17:31registration has really changed the seat. Yes. So in GE 14, I believe the total number of voters was around
17:4214 to 15 million. Right. And currently the number of voters is 22 million. 22 million, wow. So it is
17:48a
17:48very big increase in the number of voters. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay. We've come to the end of the
17:55podcast. Is there anything that you would like to add on the system, the OCR VA system? Yes, I think
18:03what's really important, I think, is that voters understand that the way they vote won't change.
18:09Their voter secrecy is still protected. And that don't take any introduction of technology in the
18:17election process as something to be distrusted, be open to the fact that it could really help to
18:22improve transparency in the process, to improve the way we communicate and release data to the public,
18:27which is really the aim of this OCR VA system. Thanks for the great insights. We had a pleasure,
18:35pleasure. It's our pleasure to have you here today. So we've come to the end of the podcast.
18:41We'll see you again in another episode soon. So thank you. Thanks. Thanks for watching and do follow
18:48us.