It said it has received a slew of complaints of problems encountered during today’s polling.

They included:

• Cancellation of names in the voter register not done completely after the issuance of ballot papers;
• No official stamp on ballot papers;
• Registered voters unable to vote because others voted using their names;
• Problematic ballot papers – perforation/marks/incomplete names; and
• Ballot papers for state/parliamentary constituencies inserted in the wrong ballot box.

Bersih said these discrepancies could lead to cheating and manipulation of ballots cast.

It urged polling and counting agents to be alert and monitor the voting and counting processes closely.

They should lodge strong objections to the presiding officer if any of the discrepancies occurred, it added.

“The Election Commission must not rule any ballot paper as spoilt on the grounds it is not perforated if the fault is due to the carelessness of the EC or its clerk.

“Also, the counting of votes must be carried out with care and involved discussions with the PACA or the candidates’ representatives when determining doubtful ballots, and objections must be given a hearing and taken into account,” it said.