Malaysian Sends State Election Vote From California & Urges Others To Do Their Part
"My point is, we've been through so much just to cast our vote, for those who are locally in Malaysia, please do your part too!" he added.
By Wayne Garreth — 09 Aug 2023, 11:08 AM
With the upcoming state elections (PRN2023) just around the corner, one Malaysian miles away from home took the initiative to bring attention to just how important voting is
A Malaysian man currently residing in Sacramento, California named Alex Toh, has been making waves online after sharing the lengths he went to in order to vote for the upcoming state elections.
In a post shared to his Facebook page on 6 August, Toh explained that during the previous general election, he had missed the postal vote ballot, which is why he absolutely did not want to miss the chance to vote in this election.
"However, we were honoured to have the opportunity to be volunteers for this election. We helped collect the postal votes in the Sacramento area and passed them to a runner in the Bay Area," he shared.
However, the situation was not without its challenges, as Toh revealed that his car was broken into that night. This resulted in him and his family having to drive for two hours in the cold weather with a broken window to get home.
After getting his ballot, Toh revealed that more issues arose after finding out that the nearest available runner was in Los Angeles, and would be flying out just two days later
"We could only mail it to him with an overnight courier to bring our votes home," he shared.
Going the extra mile to make sure their votes are counted, Toh stated that the cost of the courier within California cost him USD84 (approximately RM385). However, he went on to emphasise that voting for the upcoming state elections is crucial, and encouraged local Malaysians to vote come 12 August.
"My point is, we've been through so much just to cast our vote. For those who are locally in Malaysia, please do your part too!" he stated when concluding the caption of his post.
(Left) Toh and his wife's postal votes for PRN2023 and (right) the receipt showing how much Toh paid for the courier.
Image via Alex Toh (Facebook)Receiving immense praise online, many Malaysians thanked Toh for his effort to make sure his vote is counted for PRN2023
However, one of the notable remarks Toh received was from the former Minister of Finance, Lim Guan Eng, who commended him from voting even though he is in another country
"Thank you, sir, for voting to defend for our nation's future. Please come back and vote to ensure that Malaysia respects diversity and rule of law, remains a multi-racial nation that is democratic, and does not target Malaysians based on race or religion," said Lim in a Facebook post.
Responding to the post, Toh thanked Lim for sharing the news to bring more awareness to Malaysians who are eligible to vote across the globe.
"To add on, the volunteers who are collecting votes and runners who help take the votes back are multi-racial. Everyone is doing their very best to cast the sacred votes. We are Malaysian!" commented Toh.
Check out Lim Guan Eng's post below:
Speaking to SAYS, Toh extended his appreciation to the volunteers who are aiding the process of getting overseas votes home, and encouraged all Malaysians to exercise their right and fulfil their responsibility to vote
Read Toh's Facebook post below:
