Sarawak polls: Youths aged 18 to 39 account for nearly one million voters in the state

The youngest group of voters, aged 18 to 20, totalled 126,712, bringing the total figure for youth voters in Sarawak to 974,095. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

First Published: Thursday, 12 Nov 2026 5:06 PM MYT

KUCHING, Nov 12 — Youths aged 18 to 39 make up nearly half of the 2,058,781 registered voters in Sarawak.

According to the electoral roll as of October 25, Sarawakians aged 30 to 39 made up over one fifth of the total voters, while the 21 to 29 age group had the second largest number of voters.

Sin Chew Daily reported that voters aged 30 to 39 totalled 441,884, while 405,499 voters were aged between 21 and 29.

The youngest group of voters, aged 18 to 20, totalled 126,712, bringing the total figure for youth voters in Sarawak to 974,095.

“These figures indicate that youth voters play a significant role in determining the outcome of the 13th Sarawak state election,” said the report.

Based on the electoral roll, voters aged from 40 to 49 totalled 353,006, followed by 306,777 voters from the 50 to 59 age group.

In the senior categories, a total of 239,281 voters are aged from 60 to 69, followed by the 70 to 79 age group with 132,303 voters, 80 to 89 age group (40,173 voters), and aged 90 and above group (13,146 voters).

According to the report, Padungan has a higher percentage of senior voters, while Stakan’s voters are relatively younger.

In Padungan, the number of voters aged from 60 to 69 stood at 5,636, followed by the 70 to 79 age group (4,738 voters), 80 to 89 age group (1,873 voters), and 90 and above group (473 voters).

In contrast, Stakan has 3,443 voters aged from 18 to 20, followed by the 21 to 29 age group with 10,554 voters, and 30 to 39 age group (9,119 voters).

Notably, Senadin, which has the highest number of voters at 75,641, also has a higher number of youth constituents.

In Senadin, 6,119 voters are aged from 18 to 20, followed by the 21 to 29 age group with 18,948 voters, and the 30 to 39 age group with 18,531 voters.

“Based on the latest data, there are significant differences in the age structure of the electorate.

“While some constituencies have a higher number of youth voters, other seats recorded more senior and aged voters,” the report added.

On Dec 15, 2021, a non-partisan Malaysian youth movement achieved a milestone in the nation’s political history when amendments to Article 119(1) of the Federal Constitution, which lowered the minimum voting age in Malaysia from 21 to 18, and Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) came into effect.

The 13th Sarawak state election will see these young voters able to exercise their democratic right for the first time. — The Borneo Post