Polling Day Dress Code? Not Really, But Here Are Some Safe Practices
Keep it simple.
By Sadho Ram — 18 Nov 2022, 01:24 PM
PSA: There's no specific dress code for polling day
The only official restriction that exists is that voters are not allowed to wear any form of attire that bears the candidate's name, symbols, or names of political parties within the 50m zone of the polling station.
That's it. There is no other publicly known restriction on the type of clothing/attire.
However...
Officers stationed at polling stations can deny entry if you wear what they deem to be "inappropriate".
Now, what's "inappropriate" is up for debate.
During the 14th General Election (GE14), despite the Election Commission's (EC) assurance that voters do not have to dress according to government office attire at polling stations, many were denied entry.
Some of the voters who were turned away from polling stations in Penang and Selangor in 2018 were wearing shorts, while others were wearing skirts, slippers, singlets, etc.
At the same time, others wearing shorts or slippers faced no challenges from EC officers.
So, how then?
As you can guess, while there is no official dress code for polling day, it's up to the officers.
To be safe, avoid wearing anything blue or red, as this could be interpreted as your support for one of the coalitions, either Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional for blue or Pakatan Harapan for red.
Additionally, avoid wearing a T-shirt/hoodie with a symbol/logo on it, for example, a tiger or a broom. It would be safe to avoid wearing a T-shirt that supports a band or has a band's name/symbol on it.
Since you will probably be lining up for at least an hour, if not more, go for what's comfortable. Just make sure it's decent, neutral, and doesn't offend anyone's sensitivities.
And definitely do not wear anything too revealing. If in doubt, follow the KISS principle:
