Bandar Hilir recorded the lowest turnout among Melaka’s 28 state constituencies on November 14, coming in at just under 56 per cent as polling progressed toward the evening.
The Election Commission’s real-time Voter Turnout Monitoring dashboard showed that 67.78 per cent of ordinary voters statewide had cast ballots, translating to 433,944 out of 669,211 registered electors by 4.30pm, according to the Malay Mail report.
By contrast, Serkam claimed the highest participation rate in the state at 74.09 per cent, placing it 20.72 percentage points ahead of Bandar Hilir. Malay Mail reported that Bandar Hilir occupied the bottom spot on the monitoring dashboard from the moment polling stations opened at 8am.
The urban constituency counts 23,042 registered voters on its rolls. Women comprise 52 per cent of the electorate, while men make up the remaining 48 per cent. Demographic breakdowns show Chinese voters constitute roughly 73 per cent of the constituency, followed by Malays at 12.9 per cent, Indians at 6.4 per cent, and other groups accounting for 6.8 per cent.
Three-Cornered Contest Shapes the Race
Voters in the district are choosing between three candidates in a tightly watched battle. The contenders include incumbent Leng Chau Yen of Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional candidate Jasmine Lok Huey Yee, and Dr Mohd Nor Rashidi Ab Jalil representing Parti Bersata Malaysia.
Leng, running under the Democratic Action Party banner, previously secured the seat in the 2021 state election with a majority of 7,778 votes during a four-cornered fight. Turnout in Bandar Hilir during that 2021 contest reached 57.55 per cent—a figure today’s slower voting pace has yet to match.
Lok, who serves as a Melaka Historic City Council councillor, entered the fray after the Malaysian Chinese Association received the seat late in the nomination window from its Barisan Nasional coalition partners. Earlier in the campaign cycle, the two female candidates engaged in a direct debate after Leng accepted an invitation issued by Lok.
Polling Stations Remained Open Until 6pm on November 14
Polling stations remained open until 6pm on November 14, leaving a narrow window for a late-stage surge to lift participation metrics. The Election Commission maintained an overarching statewide turnout target of 70 per cent as election workers processed the remaining queues.
