Did you know? Nomination for the Melaka state election lasts just one hour. Here's what happens

The 16th Melaka state election now has its dates. The Election Commission (SPR) has set nomination for Saturday, 31 October 2026, early voting on 10 November and polling day on Saturday, 14 November 2026. The campaign period runs for 14 days.

"Nomination day" comes up at every election, but few people know what actually happens inside a nomination centre. Here's the process, step by step.

Just one hour to file the papers

On nomination day, 28 nomination centres open, one for each seat in the Melaka State Legislative Assembly (DUN). Nomination papers must be handed to the Returning Officer between 9am and 10am. After 10am, the window closes.

The papers can be submitted by the candidate, the proposer and the seconder, by any two of them, or by just one. The SPR also advises would-be candidates to fill in the forms and do an early check at the Returning Officer's office or the Melaka election office beforehand, so a technical slip doesn't trip them up at the last minute.

What do they need to bring?

• The completed nomination papers.
• The deposit receipt as proof of payment.
• For party candidates, a letter of permission to use the party symbol they represent.

During the 2021 Melaka state election, The Star reported that the hour after nominations closed was set aside for any objections, before each Returning Officer finalised the list of candidates for that seat.

How much does it cost to stand?

According to the SPR, the election deposit for a state seat is RM5,000 (RM10,000 for a parliamentary seat). It is paid to the Returning Officer or the State Election Director, in cash or by bank draft, no later than 10am on nomination day. Without the deposit, the nomination papers are treated as incomplete and can be rejected.

There is also a separate campaign material deposit paid to the SPR, which is RM3,000 for a state seat. Posters and banners come with their own deposit payable to the local authority (PBT).

Did you know? That RM5,000 isn't guaranteed to come back. A candidate who fails to win at least one-eighth of the total votes in the seat they contest loses the deposit.

The rules outside the nomination centre

The SPR reminds the public that supporters may not wait or be within 50 metres of the set boundary on nomination day. Using musical instruments or loudspeakers from vehicles for political purposes is also banned. These rules fall under the Election Offences Act 1954 and local council by-laws.

The Melaka election in numbers

• 687,697 eligible voters: 675,166 ordinary voters, 9,769 military personnel and spouses, and 2,762 police personnel.
• 271 polling centres with 1,263 voting channels, including 31 early voting centres (50 channels).
• 28 Returning Officers assisted by 80 Assistant Returning Officers, plus 11,175 election workers.
• Estimated cost: RM28.45 million.

The SPR will also use its OCR-VA system, which scans identity documents to record voter attendance, at every voting channel. The SPR says it does not change existing voting procedures.

Melaka voters: check first, then head out

Before 14 November, check your polling centre, voting channel and serial number on the mysprsemak.spr.gov.my portal or the MySPR Semak app. The SPR also runs a hotline at 03-8892 7218 for voter checks.

On polling day, make sure you:

• Bring your identity card for the polling clerk to check.
• Leave your phone in the designated spot, as phones aren't allowed inside the voting channel.
• Skip clothing or caps bearing any party or candidate symbol.
• Go early. In another state election this year, the SPR set voting hours from 8am to 6pm or as gazetted for each centre, so check your centre's hours in the app.

Whoever you choose, what matters is that your vote makes it into the box. Check your details, bring your IC, and see you at the polling station on 14 November.