MELAKA: The voting process for seniors at SJK (C) Yu Hwa in Bachang was made easy by Election Commission (EC) workers, says The Star journalist Allison Lai.

       Lai, who accompanied her 72-year-old mother to her polling station, observed uniformed officials stationed at different points to provide assistance.

       She said voters had to walk some distance in the humid weather as there was no parking space available for the public, but the voting process was quick and convenient.

       “I was allowed to accompany her all the way to the entrance of the polling stream, where there were properly-distanced chairs and voters were asked to wait for their turn to be called.

       “Only two to four voters were allowed inside at a time, with an EC worker controlling the number of voters allowed in.”

       Lai said her mother was required to take off her mask briefly for MyKad verification before she was given the ballot paper by an EC worker.

       “The voting process, from the moment my mother and I entered the school and left, was completed in about 15 minutes.”

       For senior citizens, she said it was better to have someone accompany them to ensure smoother communication and flow, as some of the printed instructions may be hard to make out for those with vision problems.

       When it came to her turn to vote at SK Tengkera 1 later in the afternoon, Lai said the process was even faster as everything was completed in just five minutes.

       “There was no queue at all the polling streams and I was led straight to my stream where I was asked to produce my MyKad before removing my mask briefly as proof of identity.

       “I was also asked to show both sides of my hands before I proceeded to the next table to have my pointing finger dipped in indelible ink and given the ballot paper.”

       Minus the usual long queue and crowd at most polling stations during an election, Lai said the EC staff and those on duty appeared to be more helpful and friendly.

       It is also learned that people with disabilities and senior citizens were mostly given polling streams on the ground floor to make it easy for them.