Kota kinabalu: The 17th Sabah State Election will be held on November 29, as announced by the Election Commission (EC) today. EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun stated that the nomination for the polls is set for November 15, with early voting scheduled for November 25.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, over 1,784,843 eligible voters are expected to participate in the election. The announcement follows the dissolution of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on October 6, paving the way for the state polls. The Sabah State Assembly consists of 79 seats, with 73 elected members and six appointed members.
Ramlan emphasized that the EC will deploy 33,002 personnel to ensure the smooth conduct of the election. A total of 940 polling centres, comprising 3,645 voting streams, will be operational, including 882 regular polling centres with 3,558 voting streams and 58 polling centres with 87 voting streams dedicated to early voting. The election requires an estimated budget of RM116.8 million.
To manage the election process efficiently, the EC will appoint 25 returning officers, assisted by 196 assistant returning officers. Additionally, 86 election campaign enforcement teams will be established, involving representatives from the police, local authorities, and candidates, to monitor campaign activities during the official campaigning period. Twenty-five nomination centres and vote tallying centres will be utilized throughout the election.
The Electoral Roll for the upcoming election is based on the August 2025 Supplementary Electoral Roll, updated as of October 5, and includes 1,784,843 voters. This comprises 1,760,417 ordinary voters, 11,697 military personnel and their spouses, and 12,729 police personnel and their spouses.
Ramlan assured that the election on November 29 will not interfere with the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination process, which commences on November 25. The EC has accounted for logistical considerations to prevent any overlap between polling and examination centres. The voting process will take place on a Saturday, minimizing disruption to the SPM examination schedule.
The campaign period will last for 14 days, starting after the nomination of candidates on November 15 and concluding at 11:59 pm on November 28. Regarding proposals for allowing Sabah voters in the Peninsula to cast postal votes, Ramlan mentioned that the EC has not yet finalized the matter. Currently, Sabah voters residing outside Sabah will need to return to vote.