2008-08-31

Were 900+ Voters Deleted and Replaced in Permatang Pauh?

The numbers are about right - 951 voters were deleted from Permatang Pauh and replaced by another 961 since the 12th GE. But the reasons were technical and not too sinister. Still, the whole confusing affair highlights the needs for SPR transparency and voter registration reform.

Background: PKR has complained that about 900 voters were "missing." SPR is indignant.

PKR complained that (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/88268):

"The names of 900 voters are missing from the electoral roll for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency. The names were in the last electoral role and the voters were eligible to cast their ballots in the 12th general election."

SPR's reply (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/88553):

"Explaining on the 868 names which went ‘missing' in the ‘updated' roll, Kamaruzaman [of SPR] clarified today that there were only 158 names which were removed in the latest roll.

The reasons why these names were removed among others include ‘wrong' voters registration, deaths, those who aged above 100 and deemed fit by the EC to remove their names from the roll on the presumption that they have passed away."

More: "SPR Can't Explain 949 Missing Voter Names," Chinese language article by MerdekaReview.com. (Machine translation. Please note that machine translation provides only a "gist" translation; the result will contain funny translation mistakes.)

Our investigation did find that 951 voters were "deleted" after the 12 GE in Permatang Pauh, while another 961 voters were "added" to the by-election roll dated 2008 Jul.

But we also found that these changes were due to three not-too-cynical reasons and minor SPR mistakes:
  1. The technicality of modifying police IC numbering scheme,
  2. Regular voter registrations, inward and outward movements, and
  3. SPR's dead-voter deletion overdrive.
Although the reasons are not sinister, there are lessons for the SPR: How can SPR avoid such public confusion and distrust in the future?
  1. First, let police and military voters switch to a 12-digit civilian IC to simplify verification, update, and avoid duplicate registrations.

  2. Second, make voter registration automatic with MyKad status at the NRIC Department. Meanwhile, make NRIC accountable to the parliament, to prevent Sabah-like IC mess,

  3. Third, make SPR more transparent with the gazetted and quarterly electoral rolls. SPR has recently stopped the online publication of the quarterly rolls in PDF format.Given adequate data, NGOs and the media can actually help SPR avoid unnecessary confusion.

What's so complicated about the electoral rolls?
  • First, we need to clarify which versions of electoral rolls are being bandied about.
  • We believe the confusion arises from comparing these versions:
    • the 2008 Feb 5 gazetted roll used in the 12th GE, with data up to 2007 Dec 31 (=2007Q4),
    • The 2008 Jun 19 gazetted roll, with data up to 2008 Mar 31 (=2008Q1),
    • The ungazetted supplementary roll with data from 2008 Jun 30 (=2008Q2),
    • The 2008 Jul 31 ungazetted roll for Permatang Pauh, based on the 2008 Jun 19 gazetted roll, adjusted for subsequent deletions, but not additions, ie, deletion-type changes between 2008 Apr 1 and 2008 Jul 31.
  • PKR members are probably comparing versions (a) with (d), because they are most likely to have the MS Access soft copies for these two. Version (c) is most widely available in hard copy printed from PDF files, and reflects a "flow," or change, data, not a "point-in-time," cumulative, data.
  • In contrast, the SPR probably thinks in terms of versions (b) vs (d), since (b) is a gazetted version. Version (c) is an intermediate version, that is to be gazetted. If and when (c) is gazetted, the Permatang Pauh section can lead to further confusion, because its data are dated 20080630, and is a "prequel" to the by-election version (d).
  • We will focus on versions (a) and (d), because these are the most accessible to the public, and also from where the questions likely arise. We will supplement the information with version (b) which we have built into a "pro forma" version.
If you haven't been completely confused, read on!



So what happened? We will explain our finding in 8 points:


Finding 1. The difference of only 10 voters between the 12th-GE and by-election rolls hides larger changes beneath.

Table A below shows that Permatang Pauh:
  • contained 58,449 voters at the time of 12th GE roll gazetted on 2008 Feb 5,
  • but now contains 58,459 voters at this by-election roll, dated 2008 Jul 31.
  • On the surface, the roll has simply increased by 10 voters.
  • But the underlying picture is a bit more complicated.
Table A: Comparing 20080205 and 20080731 Data
Date of publicationGazettedData datevoter countComment
20080205200802052007123158,449Used in 12th GE
20080619200806192008033158,761Pro forma version estimated by Malvu.blogspot.com based on 2008Q1 changes
20080731Not gazetted20080731?58,459Used in this by-election


Finding 2. 951 voter ICs were deleted after the 12th GE roll, while 961 voter ICs were added to the by-election roll, netting the superficial increase of only 10 voter ICs.

Table B below shows that, between the times of the 12th GE and the by-election:
  • 951 voter ICs were deleted. In other words, these voters existed in the 12th GE roll, but are now "missing" from the by-election roll.
  • 961 new voter ICs were added. In other words, this many IC numbers were in the newer by-election roll, but had not existed in the 12th GE roll.
  • Net result is the addition of only 10 voters (=961-951) on the surface.
  • Meanwhile, 57,498 voter IC numbers exist in both the newer and older rolls. In other words, they remain valid voters both during the 12th GE and today's by-election.
  • The number of 949 missing names cited in the MerdekaReview.com article above likely refers to the 951 deleted ICs (not names), less the 2 easily-explained police retirement cases,
  • Our question is then: Were the deletion of 951 voters and addition of the other 961 voters reasonable and kosher?
Table B: Cross-Checking IC Numbers Between the 12th GE and By-Election Rolls

Postal &
non-
postal

Postal
Voters

Non-
postal
Voters
Comment
IC found in 20080205 but not in 20080731 951 = 491 + 460 These IC numbers were in the 12th GE roll, but now "gone" from by-election roll
IC found in 20080731 but not in 20080205 961 = 489 + 472 These IC numbers were not in the 12th GE roll, but are now in the by-election roll
IC found in both versions 57,498 = 1 + 57,497 These were in both the 12th GE and by-election rolls


Finding 3. Nearly half the changes involved an identical group of police postal voters, who have not actually moved, but have only had their police IC numbers slightly modified. This is enough to confuse the public, even apparently the SPR itself.
  • Overall, there were 492 police postal voters in Permatang Pauh as of the 12th GE.
  • One of them (G6014602) already had the "most updated" IC numbering format, and hence this IC number was not changed, "deleted" or "added back."
  • Another two (I0013148 and R0071611) were permanently deleted after the 12th GE, probably due to retirement.
  • The remaining 489 (=492-1-2) police postal voters had their IC numbers modified slightly, as we will explain later.
  • This IC number change causes these 489 postal voters to appear to have gone "missing" en masse.
  • The "missing" voters would total 491 if we count the 2 retirement cases mentioned above.
  • Meanwhile, the same 489 postal voters' newly modified IC numbers make them look like 489 newly "added" voters. This likely happens because PKR, and even SPR itself, have no choice but to search the database by relying on the unique IC numbers, known in database parlance as the "primary index".
  • This apparent and illusory "deletion" of 491 and "addition" of 489 postal voters account for about half the 951 "missing" and 961 "replacement" voters in the by-election roll.

Finding 4. The proof is in the detail: Let us look at all 489 pairs of slightly-changed police IC numbers.

From Table C below, we can see that the 489 pairs of old and new police postal IC numbers are nearly identical, having only these 2 feature changes:
  1. All police IC # starting with "R0" or "R" in 2008 Feb 5 roll have been changed to "RF" in the by-election roll. For example, R0117812 has been changed to RF117812.
  2. All police IC # starting with "G0," "I0," or "RT0" have been changed to "G," "I," or "RT" eliminating preceeding zeros. For example "RT007013" and "I0013642" have been changed to "RT7013" and "I13642" respectively.
Table C: Permatang Pauh's 489 Police Postal Voters' ICs as Formatted in Electoral Rolls Dated 2008 Feb 5 and 2008 Jul 31
2008020520080731
2008020520080731
2008020520080731
2008020520080731
R0117812RF117812
I0016525I16525
R0150393RF150393
R0115049RF115049
R0083450RF83450
R0121314RF121314
R0156472RF156472
R0122015RF122015
R0075343RF75343
I0015495I15495
RT017150RT17150
R0075600RF75600
R0110379RF110379
R0106264RF106264
R0121553RF121553
R0117609RF117609
R0066165RF66165
R0144589RF144589
R0099644RF99644
R0082847RF82847
R0094340RF94340
R0147646RF147646
R0116111RF116111
R0125958RF125958
RT007013RT7013
R0116861RF116861
R0072226RF72226
R0114448RF114448
R0084073RF84073
R0136943RF136943
R0119542RF119542
R0129824RF129824
R0117802RF117802
R0087700RF87700
R0147791RF147791
R0154684RF154684
R0116501RF116501
R0070383RF70383
R0064730RF64730
I0017421I17421
R0075162RF75162
R0106695RF106695
R0122041RF122041
R0118150RF118150
R0104241RF104241
R0119208RF119208
R0066504RF66504
R0096855RF96855
R0081895RF81895
R0098386RF98386
R0152192RF152192
R0150957RF150957
R0064863RF64863
R0092672RF92672
R0120416RF120416
R0155317RF155317
R0133195RF133195
R0105778RF105778
R0160854RF160854
R0106314RF106314
I0013642I13642
R0086517RF86517
R0096185RF96185
R0090262RF90262
R0110443RF110443
R0072837RF72837
R0109868RF109868
R0087460RF87460
R0150829RF150829
R0146826RF146826
G0016759G16759
R0070168RF70168
R0104462RF104462
G0010340G10340
R0016140RF16140
R0120817RF120817
R0098522RF98522
R0118270RF118270
R0150851RF150851
R0138717RF138717
R0157454RF157454
R0098446RF98446
R0152253RF152253
R0123647RF123647
R0126342RF126342
R0087746RF87746
R0146804RF146804
R0118151RF118151
R0147641RF147641
R0088872RF88872
RT017092RT17092
R0209015RF209015
R0148019RF148019
R0069129RF69129
I0015669I15669
R0122707RF122707
R0111866RF111866
R0082303RF82303
R0074986RF74986
R0127487RF127487
R0109440RF109440
R0059576RF59576
R0102538RF102538
R0135769RF135769
RT009714RT9714
RT009593RT9593
R0121104RF121104
R0104206RF104206
R0092824RF92824
R0104216RF104216
I0016952I16952
R0118437RF118437
R0090872RF90872
R0083428RF83428
R0092461RF92461
R0100972RF100972
R0120704RF120704
R0066678RF66678
I0010102I10102
R4068948RF4068948
R0066493RF66493
R0096059RF96059
RT013524RT13524
I0013105I13105
R0103016RF103016
R0007020RF7020
R0119522RF119522
R0087568RF87568
R0115002RF115002
R0101088RF101088
G0015784G15784
R0118571RF118571
R0069264RF69264
R0084978RF84978
R0150373RF150373
R0094393RF94393
R0096808RF96808
R0075855RF75855
R0075364RF75364
R0089600RF89600
R0072849RF72849
R065263RF65263
R0117352RF117352
R0157902RF157902
R0122428RF122428
R0118501RF118501
R0099634RF99634
R0146815RF146815
R0075559RF75559
R0094191RF94191
R0156050RF156050
R0127383RF127383
G0009929G9929
R0101759RF101759
I0013498I13498
R0082005RF82005
R0099581RF99581
R0112305RF112305
R0115735RF115735
R0084519RF84519
R0161034RF161034
R0110411RF110411
R0059422RF59422
R0118524RF118524
R0071196RF71196
I0015858I15858
R0085050RF85050
R0139560RF139560
R0086272RF86272
R0117385RF117385
R0118247RF118247
R0081950RF81950
R0058643RF58643
R0087723RF87723
R0150756RF150756
R0071496RF71496
I0017140I17140
R0073939RF73939
I0009048I9048
R0092831RF92831
R0111890RF111890
R0121980RF121980
R0112759RF112759
R0094451RF94451
R0158318RF158318
R0082276RF82276
R0124857RF124857
R0085785RF85785
R0122429RF122429
R0117288RF117288
R0110132RF110132
R0090295RF90295
R0101127RF101127
R0104469RF104469
R0065091RF65091
R0141877RF141877
R0109306RF109306
R0111437RF111437
R0074980RF74980
RT012073RT12073
R0139177RF139177
I0016109I16109
R0159393RF159393
I0016795I16795
R0153224RF153224
R0138304RF138304
R0074313RF74313
R0138322RF138322
R0154666RF154666
R0152268RF152268
RT017098RT17098
R0141991RF141991
R0067147RF67147
R0138920RF138920
R0144493RF144493
R0069164RF69164
R0106936RF106936
R0120262RF120262
R0111938RF111938
I0010825I10825
R0103900RF103900
R0075173RF75173
R0145358RF145358
R0094306RF94306
R0113253RF113253
R0108918RF108918
R0118325RF118325
I0008287I8287
R0102111RF102111
R0089312RF89312
R0116414RF116414
R0121418RF121418
R0137757RF137757
R0097853RF97853
R0150400RF150400
RT007425RT7425
R0125261RF125261
R0084200RF84200
R0106883RF106883
R0127275RF127275
R0117266RF117266
R0090007RF90007
R0100604RF100604
R0090619RF90619
R0110136RF110136
R0138733RF138733
R0102610RF102610
R0119829RF119829
R0089976RF89976
RT007021RT7021
R0069725RF69725
R0111099RF111099
I0015980I15980
R0085327RF85327
R0092344RF92344
R0101869RF101869
R0092005RF92005
R0072814RF72814
R0085523RF85523
I0014237I14237
R0115609RF115609
R0073548RF73548
R0075596RF75596
R0069567RF69567
R0129826RF129826
R0120282RF120282
G0010593G10593
R0086808RF86808
R0095077RF95077
R0107024RF107024
R0102663RF102663
R0102645RF102645
R0098789RF98789
I0011269I11269
R0068305RF68305
I0013908I13908
R0075212RF75212
I0016783I16783
R0073304RF73304
R0069521RF69521
R0066339RF66339
R0089026RF89026
R0106103RF106103
R0148427RF148427
R0116504RF116504
R0102937RF102937
R0094390RF94390
R0116417RF116417
R0060135RF60135
R0123190RF123190
R0119640RF119640
R0131568RF131568
R0106581RF106581
R0110041RF110041
I0014965I14965
G0016185G16185
R0090416RF90416
R0103029RF103029
R0119068RF119068
R0110449RF110449
R0066610RF66610
R0098627RF98627
R0138208RF138208
R0070173RF70173
R0113312RF113312
R0099137RF99137
R0138214RF138214
R0105197RF105197
R0097230RF97230
R0069353RF69353
R0075774RF75774
R0160886RF160886
I0017068I17068
R0114111RF114111
R0137764RF137764
R0121142RF121142
R0127064RF127064
R0155827RF155827
R0111484RF111484
R0136263RF136263
R0118159RF118159
R0067825RF67825
R0102302RF102302
R0068361RF68361
R0054978RF54978
R0104197RF104197
R0138212RF138212
R0126897RF126897
R0092037RF92037
R0055360RF55360
R0115649RF115649
R0109539RF109539
R0115637RF115637
R0102590RF102590
R0105562RF105562
R0106522RF106522
R0088651RF88651
R0092888RF92888
R0118252RF118252
R0114994RF114994
RT015000RT15000
R0092114RF92114
R0068148RF68148
R0097692RF97692
R0116711RF116711
R0118351RF118351
R0105909RF105909
RT009716RT9716
R0094465RF94465
R0054938RF54938
R0103137RF103137
RT007026RT7026
R0069476RF69476
RT011990RT11990
R0129943RF129943
R0093626RF93626
R0088717RF88717
RT011958RT11958
R0137820RF137820
R0064917RF64917
R0124440RF124440
RT011988RT11988
I0016516I16516
R0098125RF98125
R0072179RF72179
R0073400RF73400
R0155013RF155013
R0116034RF116034
I0013491I13491
RT007035RT7035
R0069136RF69136
R0117340RF117340
R0091444RF91444
R0058175RF58175
R0101891RF101891
R0132520RF132520
R0098521RF98521
R0066078RF66078
R0107972RF107972
R0104387RF104387
R0059415RF59415
R0102961RF102961
R0066208RF66208
R0091382RF91382
I0016226I16226
R0122779RF122779
R0087491RF87491
R0113831RF113831
R0090962RF90962
R0082794RF82794
R0059684RF59684
R0085849RF85849
R0063770RF63770
R0067988RF67988
I0014150I14150
R0122598RF122598
R0090810RF90810
I0014091I14091
R0100837RF100837
R0116364RF116364
R0092038RF92038
R0138088RF138088
RT012082RT12082
R0104209RF104209
R0095087RF95087
R0118936RF118936
R0098885RF98885
R0117549RF117549
R0137143RF137143
I0015279I15279
R0068460RF68460
R0139473RF139473
R0088718RF88718
G0010459G10459
R0105514RF105514
R0125742RF125742
I0012513I12513
R0116946RF116946
R0102949RF102949
R0126530RF126530
G0009068G9068
R0139514RF139514
R0157897RF157897
R0094339RF94339
R0092019RF92019
R0108885RF108885
RT007037RT7037
R0113963RF113963
R0108073RF108073
I0016617I16617
R0090997RF90997
R0072823RF72823
R0085982RF85982
RT016618RT16618
R0091885RF91885
R0133525RF133525
R0089495RF89495
G0010714G10714
R0088438RF88438
R0100831RF100831
R0139568RF139568
R0118710RF118710
R0064739RF64739
R0110553RF110553
RT015968RT15968
R0101581RF101581
R0092126RF92126
I0013880I13880
R0094405RF94405
R0146589RF146589
R0085474RF85474
R0124820RF124820
R0100609RF100609
R0094259RF94259
R0071032RF71032
R0139594RF139594
R0150986RF150986
R0085635RF85635
R0069950RF69950
R0116477RF116477
R0090113RF90113
RT016106RT16106
R0075273RF75273
R0082136RF82136
R0105635RF105635
R0152652RF152652
R0118573RF118573
R0070484RF70484
R0127580RF127580
R0110021RF110021
R0138188RF138188
R0063476RF63476
R0091637RF91637
R0111843RF111843
R0067341RF67341
R0072256RF72256
R0119628RF119628
R0139485RF139485
R0105516RF105516
R0136959RF136959
R0089897RF89897
R0145798RF145798
R0131432RF131432


R0072131RF72131
I0016650I16650
R0130748RF130748


R0106937RF106937
I0012250I12250
R0107051RF107051


Note: If you can't see the whole table width, reduce your browser text size (Menu>View>Text Size). You can also click, drag, highlight the table, copy, and paste special, value, into your Excel spreadsheet for easier viewing.


Finding 5: SPR did a poor and confusing job in modifying these police IC numbers, and in explaining the changes.


While we now understand that 489 police postal voters really did not move in or out of Permatang Pauh, there remain other questions and expected problems:
  • SPR should have expected this IC number confusion, should have been ready to explain the changes, thereby preempting a loss to its own credibility.
  • This postal IC number modification occurred in a rush, only after the 2008 Jun 19 gazetted roll, in which we can find the old-formatted IC numbers. Confirming this timing is that we cannot find these "deletion" or "addition" in the 2008Q1 supplementary roll.
  • The changes do not look permanent. Any further changes will again invite confusion. Some of the "new format" police IC numbers are too short or too long to be a standardized, permanent, format:
    • Most of the IC#s are preceded by one or two alphabets, followed by 6 digits,
    • But there are IC#s followed by only 4-5 digits, for example, RT9714, G9929, and I13642.
    • There is an IC# followed by 7 digits, ie, RF4068948. With the "RF" prefix, this IC# has 9 characters in all, and is a non-standard occurrence.
    • With the above oddities, we would expect SPR at anytime to add back the zeros to the shorter IC#s make them a standard length, reigniting confusion.
  • A separate matter is that about 404 of the "Bukit Mertajam" police HQ/station officers have probably been gerrymandered into the "Permatang Pauh" seat. We will deal with the geographical question another time.
Why did SPR risk confusion to modify the police IC numbers? We believe SPR "shortened" the police IC numbers to preempt any embarrassing discovery of duplicate registrations of postal voters, as reported earlier:
Obviously, the SPR didn't anticipate that this IC-shortening move itself would cause new internal and external confusions.

The solution to this and future problems? Switch to using 12-digit civilian ICs for all postal (police and military) voters. Aren't they exercising their civilian duties when voting? Aren't they born civilian? Haven't they received the MyKad and 12-digit IC numbers by the age of 12 - before they enter the police and army? Aren't they going to retire as civilians?

Moreover, we feel the SPR also does not fully realize that many of the duplicated postal registration also involve input mistakes and variations in names (Nama) and year of birth (Tahunlahir), albeit not in P044. See Tables B and C in "771 doppelgängers." It is these second and third layers of input mistakes at SPR's voter registration procedure that caused the errors to be so difficult to trace.

The solution to this and future problem? Make voter registration automatic, as they attain their MyKad and 12-digit ICs.


Finding 6: The deletion of 460 non-postal voters after the 12th GE is more dicey. We can only trace 218 of the 460 deletions - given SPR's lack of transparency. The remaining 242 could have contained the 5 embarrassing cases of "alive-and-well but deleted-as-dead" voters documented by the media and NGO.

Table D tells us that:
  • 460 of the 951 voter ICs deleted were non-postal voters
  • Our investigation of the 2008Q1 supplemental roll revealed that 84 voters were deleted because they moved out of P044, and 89 deceased voters were deleted. SPR was going through an aggressive campaign to clean up cumulated dead voters across the country.
  • In total, SPR deleted 173 (=84+89) voters from Permatang Pauh in 2008Q1. We have recorded this finding in our earlier blog "Pro Forma Electoral Roll for P044 for 2008Q1."
  • In all, we can trace 218 (=84+89+25+20) of the 460 deletions of non-postal voters so far.
  • That leaves 242 deletions of non-postal voters to be explained.
Table D: Accounting for deletion of 951 voters after the 12th GE
Voter changes
Number
of Voters
Number
of Voters
Number of voter ICs deleted after 12th GE
951
Number of postal voter IC deleted/modified
491
Number of non-postal voter IC deleted
460
2008 Jun 19 gazetted list (data as of 2008 Mar 31,
we calculate from our pro forma version)


Deletion of voters for moving out reported in 2008Q184
Deletion of voters due to death reported in 2008Q189
Subtotal - Deletion reported in 2008Q1
173
Number of deletions to explain
for 2008Q2 and 2008 July

287



SPR deletion of all voters 100 or older
in April, May, June, July
25
SPR deletion of voters 86 to 99 years old
in April, May, June, July
20
Subtotal - Deletion of 86+ year voters
in 2008Q2 and up to July 31

45
Number of non-postal deletion we can trace218
Number of deletions to explain
242

From recent pattern of a special SPR campaign to delete dead voters, we figure it is reasonable to expect about 200 deletions of moved-out and dead voters per quarter, for April, May, and June, a period that should overlap with the above 86+ voter deletion (25+20).
  • Any registration changes for July 2008 (after 2008Q2), however, have not even been publicly displayed - not to mention gazetted. It would be imprudent for SPR to delete from July changes, although it could account for perhaps 100 or more missing voters.
  • SPR's lack of transparency and unwillingness to make 2008Q2 supplementary roll easily available means we cannot trace the last 242 deletions. We can only make partial, manual, checking and guesses.
  • These 242 untraced deletions could easily contain mistakes created in a rush. If so, SPR would have embarrassed itself by trying to avoid embarrassing itself.
  • MalaysiaKini.com and MerdekaReview.com have reported a total of 5 cases of voters, who are alive and well, who were told by SPR staff on polling day that they had been considered dead and deleted from the rolls.
  • We can confirm one case (Ang Kean Tatt, born 1983) where the voter did exist in the 2008 Feb 5 roll, is alive and well, but is not found in the 2008 Jul 31 roll, and was told he was dead in the voters roll.
  • We suspect other cases may involve long-dormant voters who have suddenly found themselves gerrymandered away from Permatang Pauh even before the 12th GE.
  • See various reports:

Finding 7: The "addition" of 961 voters in the by-election roll was also inflated by 489 new-formatted police postal voter IC numbers

As we explained above in Finding 2, 489 police voters remained in Permatang Pauh so far this yea. But their newly-formatted IC numbers have made these 489 look like "new additions" to the roll.


Finding 8: The remaining 472 (=961-489) new non-postal voters can be traced to normal new voters and moved-in voters in 2008Q1, gazetted in 2008 Jun 19.
  • SPR press release indicated that SPR did not add new voters after the 2008 Jun 19 gazetted (2008Q1 data) rolls, and that SPR only deleted voters found to have moved out or to have died.
  • The 2008Q1 supplementary roll revealed that 485 new voters were added to Permatang Pauh in 2008Q1, gazetted on 2008 Jun 19:
    • 373 voters were added due to new registration, and
    • 112 voters were added because they moved into Permatang Pauh.

  • Earlier we calculated that 472 non-postal voters were added, which is fewer than 485 reported in 2008Q1.
  • This means we can account for almost all the addition to the by-election roll.
  • As a result, we had not been too worried about "phantom voters" being imported into the electoral roll. (Although bused-in phantoms using other valid voters' ICs is another matter to worry about.)
  • Still, the difference of 13, between 485 non-postal voters added in 2008Q1 and 472 additional non-postal voters found on the by-election roll, is a small mystery. Some 13 voters were somehow deleted or not included somewhere.

With the above 8 points of finding, and the confusion created by SPR changes, we repeat these three recommendations for improving SPR and the electoral rolls:
  1. First, let police and military voters switch to a 12-digit civilian IC to simplify verification, update, and avoid duplicate registrations.

  2. Second, make voter registration automatic with MyKad status at the NRIC Department. Meanwhile, make NRIC accountable to the parliament, to prevent Sabah-like IC mess,

  3. Third, make SPR more transparent with the gazetted and quarterly electoral rolls. SPR has recently stopped the online publication of the quarterly rolls in PDF format.Given adequate data, NGOs and the media can actually help SPR avoid unnecessary confusion.

Read more! Full post may contain more data and tables.

2008-08-24

83 Voters in the Same House - More SPR Negligence?

When 83 or 60 voters reside in the same house, either the NRIC Department or the SPR must have been negligent in registering their specific street addresses.

This blog entry also looks for voters who have house number (NoRumah), indicating a specific house location. But many of them apparently live in giant house addresses. The problem is likely to be historical vagueness in NRIC and SPR's registration processes.

This is all the more reason to abolish SPR's voter registration, and implement automatic voter registration based on NRIC Department data. Then the parliament and NGOs can focus on NRIC's quality of work. Why tolerate another layer of voter registration mistakes, vagueness, and delay created by SPR?

What Table A tells us:

  • Table A lists Permatang Pauh addresses that are shared by 15 or more voters.
  • Table A includes both localities that are with and without house numbers (NoRumah). Those without house numbers overlap with the previous blog entry.
  • For those without house numbers, a voter may have a kampong/mukim locality, but may not have a street address (Jalan/Lorong/Solok, etc) and house number.
  • An example: Seberang Jaya/ Kampong Belah Dua/ Pmtg Nibong. (60 voters here, no house number.)
  • The fault of omitting street name and house number could lie with:
    • The government and MPSP for not developing proper streets for these residents,
    • The NRIC Department for failing to register the specific house and street address in MyKad,
    • SPR, for failing to register or display in electoral roll, the relevant street name, and/or house number
  • But for many who do have house numbers, which indicates a very specific house: how is it that there are no street names for them?
  • An example is Seberang Jaya/ Jalan Sembilang/ Kg Bagan Serai/ 1155 (NoRumah is 1155; 83 voters live here; but where's the street name?).
  • Either the NRIC Department or the SPR has messed up in the street address registration process.
  • This problem has reached legendary proportion in rural states such as Sabah and Kelantan.
  • Most of these names may indeed be genuine voters.
  • Kampong Bagan Serai is a crowded area that would be considered squatter area by strict urban standards.
  • But who can tell who are genuine? With 83 voters at NoRumah 1155, 60 voters at NoRumah 1138, 45 voters at NoRumah 334, and 21 voters at NoRumah 331?
Table A: 12 or More Voters Sharing Same Address, With and Without House Numbers
Excluding Postal Voters, Arranged by Number of Voters
Permatang Pauh P044 - 2008 July 31
Parl/DUN/ DM/LokalitiNamaDUN /
State Assembly Seat
NamaDM / Voting DistrictNama Lokaliti / Locality NameNoRumah / House NumberVoters in this add ress
044/10/01/001Seberang JayaJalan SembilangKg Bagan Serai115583
044/10/01/001Seberang JayaJalan SembilangKg Bagan Serai113860
044/10/04/001Seberang JayaKampong Belah DuaPmtg Nibong
60
044/12/07/001PenantiKubang UluKubang Ulu Mk 20
47
044/10/01/001Seberang JayaJalan SembilangKg Bagan Serai33445
044/12/04/006PenantiMengkuangMengkuang Titi Mk 19
39
044/10/07/002Seberang JayaSimpang AmpatPtg Rawa Mk7
33
044/12/06/005PenantiPenantiPondok Penanti Mk 20
32
044/12/04/003PenantiMengkuangMengkuang Mk 19
32
044/11/05/004Permatang PasirKampong PeletKg Pelet Mk 3
31
044/12/02/002PenantiKuala MengkuangMk 20 Kuala Mengkuang
30
044/11/06/001Permatang PasirKubang SemangKubang Semang Mk 5
27
044/10/03/004Seberang JayaKampong PertamaKampong Besar
24
044/11/04/001Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaBt Indra Muda Mk 3
23
044/12/01/002PenantiGuar PerahuMk 21 Guar Jering B M
22
044/12/01/004PenantiGuar PerahuKampong Terus Mk 21
22
044/10/01/001Seberang JayaJalan SembilangKg Bagan Serai33121
044/12/01/006PenantiGuar PerahuMk 21 Padang Ibu
20
044/11/01/004Permatang PasirSama GagahKg Sama Gagah Mk 274720
044/10/03/001Seberang JayaKampong PertamaKampong Pertama Mk 4
20
044/11/04/004Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaBt Indra Muda Mk 5
20
044/11/04/005Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaKg Petani Mk 534019
044/11/04/002Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaKg Petani Mk 378819
044/11/01/004Permatang PasirSama GagahKg Sama Gagah Mk 253618
044/12/02/003PenantiKuala MengkuangMk 20 Mengkuang Mak Sulong
17
044/11/09/003Permatang PasirPermatang TengahPmtg Tengah Mk 4261817
044/11/01/004Permatang PasirSama GagahKg Sama Gagah Mk 259717
044/10/01/001Seberang JayaJalan SembilangKg Bagan Serai98617
044/10/01/001Seberang JayaJalan SembilangKg Bagan Serai102316
044/10/01/001Seberang JayaJalan SembilangKg Bagan Serai121416
044/11/02/013Permatang PasirPermatang AraPmtg Pasir Mk 3
16
044/11/05/004Permatang PasirKampong PeletKg Pelet Mk 373016
044/11/03/001Permatang PasirPermatang PauhPmtg Pauh Mk 496716
044/10/06/008Seberang JayaJalan BahruTmn Pauh1716
044/11/01/004Permatang PasirSama GagahKg Sama Gagah Mk 295816
044/11/05/004Permatang PasirKampong PeletKg Pelet Mk 356216
044/11/02/003Permatang PasirPermatang AraSg Sintok Mk 271716
044/10/06/007Seberang JayaJalan BahruMisjid Timah Mk 6
16
044/12/01/003PenantiGuar PerahuMk 21 Guar Perahu B M
15
044/12/06/004PenantiPenantiPenanti Mk 2090615
044/12/03/004PenantiTelok WangTelok Wang Mk 19
15
044/12/06/004PenantiPenantiPenanti Mk 20
15
044/12/01/001PenantiGuar PerahuBukit Berangan Mk 2158715
044/10/01/024Seberang JayaJalan SembilangPintas Sembilang 134315
044/10/04/004Seberang JayaKampong Belah DuaTaman Hj. Mohd Amin115
044/12/09/003PenantiTanah Liat Mukim 9Tanah Liat Mk 9
15

Table B shows us that:
  • When voter registration includes street names, such as "Jalan" and "Lorong," then voter registration is less confusing.
  • Voters tend not to be confusingly "crowded" into a large address.
  • Table B is at the other end of the spectrum started by Table A, and is included to contrast with Table A.
  • That is, Table B includes a sample of Locality+House Number with only a single registered voter. Table B shows more specific addresses.
  • Even then, there are some very vague voter address registration.
Table B: Some Addresses With Only A Single Voters
To Demonstrate More Specific Locality/Address Details
Permatang Pauh P044 - 2008 July 31
Parl/DUN/ DM/LokalitiNamaDUN /
State Assembly Seat
NamaDM / Voting DistrictNama Lokaliti / Locality NameNoRumah / House NumberVoters in this add ress
044/10/05/023Seberang JayaSeberang Jaya ILrg Siakap 3211-A1
044/10/05/005Seberang JayaSeberang Jaya ITaman SiakapBLK B/120-H1
044/11/05/004Permatang PasirKampong PeletKg Pelet Mk 35121
044/10/02/004Seberang JayaSeberang Jaya IIJalan Tenggiri545B1
044/12/03/005PenantiTelok WangKg Tun SardonTS 61221
044/12/09/003PenantiTanah Liat Mukim 9Tanah Liat Mk 9279(B)1
044/10/01/027Seberang JayaJalan SembilangLrg Sembilang 5361
044/10/02/008Seberang JayaSeberang Jaya IILrg Tenggiri 1BLK 03-131
044/12/08/001PenantiSungai SemambuKg Tok Elong Mk 2020321
044/11/08/004Permatang PasirKampong Cross Street 2Tanah Liat Mk 85761
044/11/04/004Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaBt Indra Muda Mk 514711
044/12/02/002PenantiKuala MengkuangMk 20 Kuala Mengkuang35621
044/10/09/002Seberang JayaTaman Tun Hussein OnnTaman Baru161
044/11/01/008Permatang PasirSama GagahTmn Samagagah9571
044/10/06/009Seberang JayaJalan BahruKg Setol Mk 66231
044/11/07/002Permatang PasirTanah Liat Mukim 8Kg Paya Mk 84591
044/10/08/019Seberang JayaJalan TunaLebuh TunaBLOK D-21-643-C1
044/12/06/003PenantiPenantiKubang Semang Mk 2012831
044/12/03/001PenantiTelok WangBukit Gempas Mk 195161
044/10/02/008Seberang JayaSeberang Jaya IILrg Tenggiri 1BLOK E4-141


Table C shows us that:
  • There is a large occurrence of Locality+House Number where many voters seems to "live together,"
  • For example, there are 3 places with 50 or more registered voters.
  • One of the these 3 places is without house number (NoRumah left blank),
  • When we exclude that place without house number, we are still left with 2 places where SPR has registered the Locality+House Number, but where more than 50 voters reside, apparently.
  • There are 10 places shared by 20 to 29 voters, including 8 places without house number,The number rises quickly from here.
  • There are 25 places shared by 15 to 19 voters, including 7 places without house number,
  • There are 104 places shared by 12 to 14 voters, including only 10 places without house number,
  • There are 166 places shared by 10 to 11 voters, including 3 places without house number,
  • There are 2,747 places shared by 5 or voters, including 57 places without house number,
Table C: Tallying Locality+House Number, and the Number of Voters in Each
Number of voters at same Locality+House NumberCount of such Locality+House Number, including Blank NoRumahCount of such Locality+House Number, EXCLUDING Blank NoRumahCount of Blank House Number
50 and above 3 2 1
30 to 49 8 1 7
20 to 29 10 2 8
15 to 19 25 18 7
12 to 14 104 94 10
10 to 11 166 163 3
9 155 150 5
8 231 229 2
7 436 433 3
6 645 638 7
5 964 960 4
4 1,674 1,664 10
3 2,624 2,617 7
2 5,357 5,344 13
1 13,535 13,499 36
Total 25,937 25,814 123


Note:

Read more! Full post may contain more data and tables.

2008-08-23

1,020 Voters Without House Number Highlights SPR Voter Registration Shortcomings

Permatang Pauh contains 1,020, or only 1.8%, non-postal voters without house number. But the broader issue is that 1/3 of all Malaysian voters are registered without house number. The government should abolish the SPR-centered voter registration process, and automatically register all adult MyKad-holding citizens, to prevent SPR from introducing registration mistakes, inconsistencies, and delays

This analysis is based on the by-election electoral roll dated 2008 July 31 for P044, Permatang Pauh. You can only verify these cases (voters without house numbers) by using SPR's MS Access formatted electoral roll. The SPR by-election voter verification Web page will not show the voter's house number or NoRumah (which is perhaps a good policy to protect voter privacy).

Table A tells us that:

  • Of the 28 voting districts (DMs or Daerah Mengudi) in Permatang Pauh, 4 DMs contain 5% or more voters registered without house number (NoRumah),
  • These top 4 DMs by percentage are in the more rural state assembly seat of Penanti,
  • The top 4 DMs by number contain 123, 101, 91, and 73 voters without NoRumah.
  • There is a total of 1,020 voters in P044 who registered without the house number information,
  • Although the overall percentage of 1.8% is small because this is a substantially urbanized parliamentary seat, the absolute number of 1,020 is still more than twice the size of postal voters (490).

  • There is another 490 voters who are without house number because they are postal voters. We do not count these postal voters because we can find out precisely where their police stations are located.
  • This issue of "voters without house number" is often confused with and compounded by the issue of "many voters registered in the same address," which we will discussed in the next blog entry.
Table A: Voters Without NoRumah By Voting Districts (DM), Ranked by Percentage
Permatang Pauh P044 - 2008 July 31
Parl/DUN/ DMNamaDUN /
State Assembly Seat
NamaDM / Voting DistrictVoters
without
NoRumah
All VotersPercent
044/12/04Penanti Mengkuang 123 1,901 6.5%
044/12/03Penanti Telok Wang 32 599 5.3%
044/12/01Penanti Guar Perahu 101 1,907 5.3%
044/12/06Penanti Penanti 53 1,061 5.0%
044/10/04Seberang Jaya Kampong Belah Dua 91 2,168 4.2%
044/12/07Penanti Kubang Ulu 48 1,400 3.4%
044/10/03Seberang Jaya Kampong Pertama 46 1,607 2.9%
044/10/07Seberang Jaya Simpang Ampat 59 2,223 2.7%
044/11/05Permatang Pasir Kampong Pelet 43 1,750 2.5%
044/11/02Permatang Pasir Permatang Ara 73 2,980 2.4%
044/11/04Permatang Pasir Bukit Indra Muda 66 2,750 2.4%
044/11/06Permatang Pasir Kubang Semang 34 1,424 2.4%
044/12/02Penanti Kuala Mengkuang 61 2,727 2.2%
044/10/06Seberang Jaya Jalan Bahru 40 2,274 1.8%
044/12/08Penanti Sungai Semambu 21 1,872 1.1%
044/12/09Penanti Tanah Liat Mukim 9 20 1,920 1.0%
044/12/05Penanti Sungai Lembu 5 509 1.0%
044/11/09Permatang Pasir Permatang Tengah 22 2,497 0.9%
044/11/01Permatang Pasir Sama Gagah 19 2,774 0.7%
044/10/01Seberang Jaya Jalan Sembilang 19 2,933 0.6%
044/12/10Penanti Berapit Road 9 1,461 0.6%
044/11/07Permatang Pasir Tanah Liat Mukim 8 10 2,175 0.5%
044/11/08Permatang Pasir Kampong Cross Street 2 6 2,179 0.3%
044/10/09Seberang Jaya Taman Tun Hussein Onn 5 2,127 0.2%
044/11/03Permatang Pasir Permatang Pauh 3 1,759 0.2%
044/10/02Seberang Jaya Seberang Jaya II 5 2,966 0.2%
044/10/08Seberang Jaya Jalan Tuna 3 2,926 0.1%
044/10/05Seberang Jaya Seberang Jaya I 3 3,100 0.1%
P044Total for non-postal voters
1,020 57,969 1.8%
P044Postal voters

490
P044Total voters

58,459


Table B zooms into more details at the "locality" or street level:
  • There are 414 localities in P044 for non-postal voters. There are another 6 postal localities. A "lokaliti" is usually a street, and sometimes defined by SPR as crudely as a village address such as kampong and mukim. Postal localities include army camps, navy base, air force base or school, police station, and overseas voters location.
  • 123 of these 414 civililan localities contain at least 1 voter who registered without house number.
  • Table B selects only 57 out of these 123 localities - only those localities containing 5 or more voters who register without house number.
  • The 6 largest such localities contain 60, 47, 39, 33, 32, 32 voters without house number, and are highlighted in red below.
  • Looking under the "NamaLokaliti / Locality Name" column, it would seem SPR has registered these voters with only up to their "kampong" and "mukim" details.
The questions would then be:
  • Why does SPR not register their specific street address and house number, when the same localities do contain other voters with house numbers? For example Pmtg Nibong contains 330-60=270 voters with house numbers.
  • Does it mean many kampongs in Permatang Pauh still do not have street names and house numbers?
  • Who omitted the street details? Does the omission of house number occur at the NRIC department, or when the voters registered at SPR which omitted address details printed on MyKad?
  • Who should be responsible for the lack of house number and street-specific information?
    • Should it be the government, for not developing the street infrastructure?
    • Should it be the NRIC, for not recording all available details in MyKad?
    • Should it be the SPR, for not registering all available details from MyKad in the electoral roll?
  • If election observers can prove (by photocopied ICs) that there is a large number of voters whose ICs indeed show detailed address and house numbers, but whose voter registrations do not show house numbers, then we can make a strong case to make all voter registrations automatic, based on MyKad and NRIC database.
  • If the lack of street address and house number is due to poor rural development and planning, then how can the government deliver high-quality education, health service, postal service, electricity supply, and allow private sector to supply broadband Internet service, banking and finance services that will lift the quality of life for these rural voters?
  • If a highly urbanized location such as Permatang Pauh still has this problem, how about the states with over 50% voters without house numbers?
  • Which ever authority is responsible, wouldn't it be better to eliminate SPR as another layer of bureaucracy that can introduce omission, mistakes, inconsistencies, and update delay?
  • Why not automatically register all 21-year-old citizen with MyKad as voters?
Table B: Count of Non-Postal Voters Without House Number By Locality, and as Percentage of Locality, With 5 or More Such Voters
Permatang Pauh P044 - 2008 July 31
Parl/DUN/ DM/LokalitiNamaDUN /
State Assembly Seat
NamaDM / Voting DistrictNama Lokaliti / Locality NameVoters
without
No Rumah
All VotersPercent
044/10/04/001Seberang JayaKampong Belah DuaPmtg Nibong 60 330 18.2%
044/12/07/001PenantiKubang UluKubang Ulu Mk 20 47 1,241 3.8%
044/12/04/006PenantiMengkuangMengkuang Titi Mk 19 39 682 5.7%
044/10/07/002Seberang JayaSimpang AmpatPtg Rawa Mk7 33 746 4.4%
044/12/06/005PenantiPenantiPondok Penanti Mk 20 32 142 22.5%
044/12/04/003PenantiMengkuangMengkuang Mk 19 32 298 10.7%
044/11/05/004Permatang PasirKampong PeletKg Pelet Mk 3 31 960 3.2%
044/12/02/002PenantiKuala MengkuangMk 20 Kuala Mengkuang 30 438 6.8%
044/11/06/001Permatang PasirKubang SemangKubang Semang Mk 5 27 1,007 2.7%
044/10/03/004Seberang JayaKampong PertamaKampong Besar 24 145 16.6%
044/11/04/001Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaBt Indra Muda Mk 3 23 869 2.6%
044/12/01/004PenantiGuar PerahuKampong Terus Mk 21 22 191 11.5%
044/12/01/002PenantiGuar PerahuMk 21 Guar Jering B M 22 501 4.4%
044/12/01/006PenantiGuar PerahuMk 21 Padang Ibu 20 279 7.2%
044/11/04/004Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaBt Indra Muda Mk 5 20 698 2.9%
044/10/03/001Seberang JayaKampong PertamaKampong Pertama Mk 4 20 1,338 1.5%
044/12/02/003PenantiKuala MengkuangMk 20 Mengkuang Mak Sulong 17 332 5.1%
044/10/06/007Seberang JayaJalan BahruMisjid Timah Mk 6 16 239 6.7%
044/11/02/013Permatang PasirPermatang AraPmtg Pasir Mk 3 16 578 2.8%
044/12/03/004PenantiTelok WangTelok Wang Mk 19 15 222 6.8%
044/12/01/003PenantiGuar PerahuMk 21 Guar Perahu B M 15 548 2.7%
044/12/06/004PenantiPenantiPenanti Mk 20 15 603 2.5%
044/12/09/003PenantiTanah Liat Mukim 9Tanah Liat Mk 9 15 1,548 1.0%
044/10/06/001Seberang JayaJalan BahruJln Baharu 14 606 2.3%
044/10/04/002Seberang JayaKampong Belah DuaKampong Pertama Mk 6 14 783 1.8%
044/12/08/002PenantiSungai SemambuKubang Semang Mk 20 14 1,143 1.2%
044/12/04/005PenantiMengkuangMengkuang Sg Lembu Mk 19 13 147 8.8%
044/12/04/007PenantiMengkuangSimpang Tiga Mk 18 13 187 7.0%
044/11/02/005Permatang PasirPermatang AraKg Kota Mk 3 13 312 4.2%
044/12/04/002PenantiMengkuangMengkuang Mk 18 13 334 3.9%
044/11/09/003Permatang PasirPermatang TengahPmtg Tengah Mk 4 13 1,253 1.0%
044/11/01/004Permatang PasirSama GagahKg Sama Gagah Mk 2 13 2,007 0.6%
044/10/07/004Seberang JayaSimpang AmpatPermatang Batu Mk7 12 440 2.7%
044/10/01/001Seberang JayaJalan SembilangKg Bagan Serai 11 740 1.5%
044/12/02/004PenantiKuala MengkuangMk 20 Padang Ibu 10 164 6.1%
044/11/02/003Permatang PasirPermatang AraSg Sintok Mk 2 10 171 5.8%
044/12/03/002PenantiTelok WangKg Lalang Mk 19 9 34 26.5%
044/10/06/009Seberang JayaJalan BahruKg Setol Mk 6 9 325 2.8%
044/10/04/005Seberang JayaKampong Belah DuaKg Belah Dua 9 348 2.6%
044/11/04/005Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaKg Petani Mk 5 9 428 2.1%
044/11/09/002Permatang PasirPermatang TengahPmtg Janggus Mk 4 9 1,042 0.9%
044/12/01/005PenantiGuar PerahuMk 21 Padang Buloh 8 77 10.4%
044/11/04/002Permatang PasirBukit Indra MudaKg Petani Mk 3 8 453 1.8%
044/12/04/004PenantiMengkuangMengkuang Sg Lembu Mk 18 7 122 5.7%
044/12/01/007PenantiGuar PerahuPadang Temusu Mk 21 7 188 3.7%
044/11/02/012Permatang PasirPermatang AraPmtg Pasir Mk 2 7 467 1.5%
044/11/05/005Permatang PasirKampong PeletKg Pelet Mk 21 6 87 6.9%
044/11/02/007Permatang PasirPermatang AraPengkalan Tambang Mk 2 6 254 2.4%
044/11/06/003Permatang PasirKubang SemangSg Semambu Mk 5 6 405 1.5%
044/10/07/003Seberang JayaSimpang AmpatPadang Lalang Mk 7 6 499 1.2%
044/12/08/003PenantiSungai SemambuSg Semambu Mk 20 6 600 1.0%
044/12/10/003PenantiBerapit RoadKg Tanah Liat Mk 9 6 816 0.7%
044/12/04/008PenantiMengkuangMp Tuanku Bainun 5 21 23.8%
044/12/09/002PenantiTanah Liat Mukim 9Sg Ara Mk 9 5 38 13.2%
044/12/05/001PenantiSungai LembuSungai Lembu Village Mk 18 5 509 1.0%
044/10/04/004Seberang JayaKampong Belah DuaTaman Hj. Mohd Amin 5 656 0.8%
044/11/07/004Permatang PasirTanah Liat Mukim 8Tanah Liat Mk 8 5 1,284 0.4%

SPR's inconsistent and non-sensical house number inputs. Tables C, D, and E show us that:
  • SPR has input house numbers in very inconsistent, sometimes non-sensical, ways.
  • Table C shows that, of all the voters in Permatang Pauh without house number, 976 have their house number input as a blank (nothing), while 46 have them input as "-" (hyphen).
  • Worse, for the whole country's electoral roll gazetted on 2008 Feb 5, there were at least 29 ways to input "blank or without" house numbers, ranging from blank to "tiada," "null," "00," 3 asterisks, 10 hyphens, underscore, ampersand, equal sign, etc. See this link for a table of details.
Table C: Two Types of Input To Represent Blank or Without House Number (NoRumah)
Permatang Pauh P044 - 2008 July 31
Blank address variationsCount
[nothing]974
-46
Total non-postal1,020
Postal490
Total1,510

  • Table D shows that, in Permatang Pauh alone, SPR uses a variety of formats for the short-form of "Number," followed by varying punctuation, space or lack of space, etc, even though it could have been skipped completely.
  • The immediate impact of these inconsistencies is that it becomes very difficult for NGOs, and even SPR itself, to check for the number of voters who share the same address.
Table D: Many Different Ways To Input The Unnecessary "No."
Permatang Pauh P044 - 2008 July 31
Variations of "No."Comments
N
N0N followed by zero
NO
N0.N followed by zero and period
NO.
NO .NO followed by space and then period
NO,
NO-
NO.99No space after NO.
NO12No space after NO
NO:10No space after NO:
NO;6No space after NO;

  • Table E shows that, in Permatang Pauh alone, SPR inputs some house numbers almost accidentally, inlcuding quotation marks, locality information (Mk), etc.
  • To verify the cases in Table E, for example, you can look into SPR's electoral roll in MS Access or PDF format for 2008 July 31, under the Kodlokaliti+NoSiri listed below. The SPR Web site "Semakan" page does not publish the house number (NoRumah).
Table E: More Weird Variations in SPR Registration of House Numbers (the NoRumah data column)
Permatang Pauh P044 - 2008 July 31

Variations of "No." Kodlokaliti
(Example)
NoSiri
(Example)
Comments
''258 MK 20''' 044/12/07/0011231Three pairs of single quotes
'18' 044/11/05/0071247One pair of single quote
'6557 MUKIM 7' 044/11/07/0032067One single quote, plus MUKIM or MK
'NO 1194' 044/12/02/0022585One single quote, plus NO
02=09-B044/10/09/0051491Equal sign in the middle
NO-1828044/10/05/0082881NO and negative sign (hyphen) in front
NO.19044/10/08/010255NO and period in front (several)
0-4-08044/10/02/0087750- in front
01044/10/06/00211170 in front of a digit (several)
01-01044/10/09/01218160 in front of 2 numbers (several)

Conclusion
  • These are additional inconsistencies that came from either NRIC or the SPR.
  • Wouldn't it be better to expose only one agency (NRIC) to such procedural mistakes and inconsistencies?
  • Wouldn't it be better that voter registration procedures be streamlined and automated under NRIC Department, and the problem isolated and corrected under this agency alone, while making NRIC more transparent and accountable to the parliament?
  • This will shift the focus on information quality to the National Registration of IC Department, and prevent SPR from introducing an additional layer of voter registration mistakes, inconsistencies, and delays.

Read more! Full post may contain more data and tables.