KUALA LUMPUR – Sarawak goes to the polls on Dec 12, triggering a high-stakes, 14-day campaign blitz across all 82 state seats under a massive RM174.94 million electoral machinery.
Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun announced the definitive timeline today following a special meeting on election arrangements, fixing nomination day for Nov 28 and early voting on Dec 8.
The announcement sets a strict, ticking clock for postal voters. Domestic and overseas applications officially opened on Oct 26, with the deadline for Category 1A voters—covering election workers, EC officers, armed forces personnel, and media practitioners—slated for Nov 25.
“Applications for Category 1B, involving Malaysians residing overseas, and Category 1C, covering eligible agencies and organisations, will close on Nov 20,” Ramlan told a press conference here today.
To command the colossal logistics across Borneo’s largest territory, Ramlan confirmed the appointment of 82 returning officers supported by 305 assistant returning officers. On the ground, 82 dedicated election campaign enforcement teams—staffed by the Royal Malaysia Police, local authorities, and contesting candidates’ representatives—will actively monitor campaigning conduct throughout the 14-day window.
The electoral register for the 13th state election lists an electorate of 2,058,781 voters. This includes 2,034,373 ordinary registered voters, 13,575 military personnel and spouses, and 10,833 police and General Operations Force personnel alongside their spouses.
Detailing the scale of operations in a subsequent statement, the EC revealed that 40,505 election personnel will be deployed to manage 97 nomination and official tallying centres statewide.
“A total of 82 early voting centres, comprising 106 voting streams, and 1,945 ordinary polling centres, with 4,482 voting streams, will be set up.
“This brings the total to 2,027 polling centres and 4,588 voting streams statewide,” the commission said.
The election watchdog projects an overall budget of RM174.94 million to execute the snap state polls. – November 6, 2026