Chaos reigned in polling stations scattered across Selangor, resulting in the Election Commission extending voting hours until 7pm. Polls elsewhere closed at 5pm.

Among the areas most severely affected are the Sri Gombak and Taman Greenwood polling stations, located within the Gombak parliamentary constituency.

EC secretary Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the problems could be due to "a rush job in printing ballot papers".

Voters had also told malaysiakini they had difficulties in tracing their names in the EC's electoral roll.

Aside from Gombak, problems were also reported in the Lembah Jaya state constituency in Ampang while in Kuala Lumpur, hundreds of voters registered around the border areas of Segambut, Batu and Kepong found themselves transferred inexplicably to new locations.

Tempers flare

At one of the worst hit areas in SM Sri Gombak, order has virtually broken down as the police and Election Commission (EC) officials found themselves unable to cope with the thousands who found themselves unlisted in the electoral rolls.

Various inconsistencies were also reported in the polling stations. Voters listed in computer lists at EC booths later found their names missing from the hard copy lists of polling agents in their respective voting streams.

Tempers also flared as some voters found themselves still unlisted although they had been referred to the school from other polling stations.

Those unwilling to wait at the EC booths headed straight for the polling booths to check their names, causing long and noisy queues.

Several voters were seen leaving the polling areas without voting after waiting for hours in vain. One voter told reporters that she would be lodging a police report over the incident.

The pandemonium also forced the deployment of Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) officials to SM Sri Gombak but even they seemed helpless in controlling the situation.

When questioned, an officer at the scene said the police were unable to do anything as the solution lies with EC officials.

According to PAS candidate Dr Hatta Ramli for the Gombak parliamentary seat, the situation in Sri Gombak and Taman Greenwood was so severe that only several hundred had been able to vote by mid-afternoon.

He said voter turnout at Taman Greenwood registered only nine percent by 1pm because of the missing name lists.

"This is a terrible turnout since it is already afternoon. At most, only 30 percent of the people would be able to vote," he said during a press conference this afternoon.

Redelineation woes

Meanwhile, Keadilan candidate at the Lembah Jaya state seat in Ampang Dr Xavier Jayakumar said similar problems were reported in at least four polling areas - SK Lembah Jaya, Pinggir 3 Hall, and the polling centres in Taman Kota and Taman Bukit Indah.

"Hundreds of people are affected in these areas. People who are listed in the EC booths find their names missing from the lists in their assigned polling streams. There is also no security. People are walking in and out of the polling stations," he said when contacted this afternoon.

Jayakumar said EC officials have also been out of reach.

"The returning officers cannot do anything. They are not answering our calls. This will seriously affect the results. We will file official complaints and police reports," he said.

In Kuala Lumpur, groups of voters in Batu, Gombak and Segambut have also been moved to different constituencies, leaving them stranded at various polling stations.

Volunteer Choong Pai Chee said confusion broke out in Jinjang Selatan where groups of voters found their names missing from EC lists.

"The EC computer system has broken down. Officers were unable to tell voters where they are supposed to vote so we have to help them out through SMS checks," she said.

Choong said at least one voter, who had traditionally voted in Batu, found herself inexplicable transferred to Terengganu.

Voters have also complained that members of the same household have been assigned to vote in different constituencies.

While inconsistencies in the electoral roll in Kuala Lumpur have been blamed on changes due to the EC's redelineation exercise, this appeared not to be the problem in Gombak, a constituency which was largely unaffected by the changes.