GE15: Spoilt Votes & Rejected Votes – What Are They?

Rejected Votes are those that make it into the ballot box and Spoilt Votes are those that don’t.

(Credit: SPR, Illuminasi)

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest stories and updates.

A lot of people are confused about the meaning of rejected votes (undi ditolak) and spoilt votes (undi rosak). What are those and how can you differentiate them?

What if you were to encounter a faulty ballot paper on Election Day? What should you do?

Here we explain the difference between spoilt and rejected votes and the reason behind them all.

What are spoilt votes?

According to the Election Commission, spoilt votes are original ballot papers which are faulty and cannot be used. They don’t end up in the ballot box.

Those ballot papers might be torn, improperly printed, or soiled accidentally before you even receive them. If they even have any marks already on a particular candidate before you even vote, that’s a spoilt vote and you don’t want that representing your vote, so it doesn’t go into the ballot box.

You can return the spoilt vote and get a new one from the person in charge. Check to make sure the ballot paper isn’t spoilt, make your vote, and submit it into the ballot box.

What are rejected votes?

Rejected votes are votes that are not marked properly, either by accident or on purpose but they still end up in the ballot box. Their votes won’t be valid for any party but their numbers are still counted, just for statistics.

Rejected vote comprises ballot papers with no legal EC stamp, votes that mark two or more candidates, any signs that can identify the voter, unmarked or incorrectly marked signs and marks which show unclear intentions of the voter.

Spoilt votes on GE14

Although technically they mean the opposite thing, for some people, spoilt votes mean ruining your votes on purpose.

On GE14, there was a movement called Gerakan #UndiRosak where people deliberately marked their ballot papers incorrectly in protest of the parties elected in the last general election. This movement became popular on social media, especially among the younger generation.

As reported by Malaysia Bersuara, the GE14 spoilt votes were dedicated to showing protest for Pakatan Harapan. At the time, PH was seen as a failed alternative compared to the already reigning Barisan Nasional (BN). It happened because PH elected Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the Prime Minister if they should win GE14 (which they did).

Are spoilt votes a waste?

According to Prof. Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong, Felo Utama Institut Kajian Etnik (UKM), the #UndiRosak movement and unregistered voters were signs from the citizen that they’re tired of the politicking in our country. Whether it be from the government side or the opposition.

Even though it’s not good for our democracy, it clearly shows the citizen’s hatred towards selfish politicians.

Jay Foreman, a YouTuber expressed that it’s better to incorrectly mark the ballot papers than to not come down to vote at all. This is because, even though the votes will be rejected, their statistics will still be taken into account.

This statistic is pertinent to show the representatives that the citizens are not happy with any of the parties, hence they need to work harder to win the hearts of their people.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.