The Coalition for Clean and Fair Election (BERSIH), together with Astro Awani, is pleased to launch the #VoteLokal campaign for the upcoming six state elections (6PRN). The primary goal of the campaign is to raise voters turnout for the state elections.

Historical data of state elections that are not held in conjunction with General Elections (GE) suggest that voters turnout will be 10-15 % lower than the GE. The turnout rate for GE15 was 74%, meaning the turnout for the 6PRN will likely be around 59-64%, if we do not advocate for a higher turnout.

The current narrative used by contesting parties for the 6PRN is that it is a referendum on the Unity Government on issues such as the 3Rs (Race, Religion and Royalty), and the economy. Both sides of the divide seem to be campaigning on those lines.

The #VoteLokal campaign intends to put the focus on the real reason why we have state elections by drawing voters’ attention to state and local issues. This matters since state governments appoint local councilors, whose decisions directly impact our local services, development and businesses. In short, state elections are important because they directly impact our quality of life.

The goal of the #VoteLokal campaign is to push for a higher voters turnout of 70% or more through public messaging of the narrative – if you want better management of local services, development and businesses, vote for a better state government.

Today we have representatives from various civil society groups including our Endorsing NGOs, student groups and with the cooperation of Astro Awani to voice our concerns for local and state issues.

To amplify the message, we urge the public to join in our call for #VoteLokal by doing the following:-

a) use the campaign hashtags; #VoteLokal and #UndiLokal to voice local issues in your constituency. Remember to tag your ADUN candidates!

b) create your own poster/tiktok/Youtube video/article and share using the hashtags

c) encourage your friends and families in the six states to vote

d) like and share BERSIH’s social media contents and related news links

Democracy is only meaningful when there is mass participation in a clean and fair election. Let your vote decide better state governments and local authorities.

Released by:

BERSIH Steering Commitee