Ghost voter

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Example of ghost voter (Source: Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)
Example of ghost voter (Source: Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)

Ghost Voting is a political term which can have several meanings. It can refer to the practice of voters in a legislative body taking part in a vote while not physically there in person to cast their vote.[1]

It can also refer to a type of election fraud whereby voters who do not exist or who are not eligible to vote (i.e. too young) are added to the electoral register.[2]

The term has also been used to refer to those that are on the electoral register to vote in an election but are ineligible to vote.[3]

[edit] Definition of "ghost voter"

According to Malaysian election laws, ghost voters can be defined as one of the following:-

  • The voter is more than 120 years old (see example)
  • The voter resides in a house with more than 20 residents.
  • The voter, by any means, is not related to the address owner where the voter has registered.
  • The same voter has been registered more than once, for example among police officers and military personnel. In this context, their police or military ID might be used for postal voting while their identity card number might be used for ordinary voting.

[edit] References

  1. ^ FindLaw's Writ - Hamilton: Is "Ghost" Voting Acceptable?
  2. ^ Police inquiry into claims of ghost voters | Society | The Guardian
  3. ^ 1m ‘ghost’ voters threaten to skew council elections - Times Online
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