KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — The Election Commission (EC) has visited universities and villagers to show how it conducts polls and to counter a campaign for voters to spoil their votes.

EC chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah said the commission’s officers have also appeared on television and radio programmes to inform Malaysians about the voting process.

He said the education was necessary as EC officers at polling stations have only limited time to brief voters on several matters aside from checking their identities and marking their fingers with the election ink.

It was also an opportunity to educate the public about the integrity of Malaysian elections, he added.

"How the ballot box is tied up neatly. How to ensure that people are not doubtful at the polling place. We guard the ballot box and where we open it to count the ballot papers. That means we don’t expose or just simply leave the ballot papers,” he was quoted saying in an interview published by local paper Berita Harian today.

"That’s why when we conduct simulations, we go to universities, visit villagers. Seems like then only they can understand.

"That’s why it is important for the public to be exposed to the election system. Maybe eventually when this is done repeatedly by the EC, the public will be able to understand,” he added.

Mohd Hashim said the EC also launched a campaign dubbed MyUndi to encourage voters to vote, labelling the campaign for voters to abstain or spoil their votes as mischievous.

He said the EC viewed voting as both a privilege and duty under the Federal Constitution.

The EC would also not gain and lose if voters choose to abandon their ballots, but the public themselves as they would not have a say in the selection of the government, he said when pointing out that elections have been won by as few as two ballots.

He added that his commission was predicting a 85-per cent turnout, up from the 84 per cent in 2013.

"Every vote is secret. No one knows,” he continued.

There are currently 14.94 million registered voters, with Mohd Hashim saying that 3.6 million Malaysians who are eligible to vote have not registered to do so.

In the interview, Mohd Hashim addressed suspicion and the perception that the EC was biased by pointing out that the 250,000 election workers were temporary staff and not appointed directly by the commision.

He said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would appoint returning officers, who then selected other officers and workers that range from teachers, clerks, housewives, NGO representatives, noting that EC’s role is only to train them according to fulfill their duties according to regulations.

"If people say the EC cheats, it is not the EC, but the appointed workers who cheat,” he said.

He also said political parties appoint and have agents that can monitor the entire election process, including during the postal voting and advance voting and also during the counting of the ballot papers.