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220 Wong Chin Huat

89 constituencies the opposition coalition won in 2013 averaged 88,981
voters, while the 113 constituencies BN won averaged only 52,792 voters, or
41 per cent fewer (Chart 11.1).

Table 11.7 Malapportionment of state constituencies by state, before and
after 2015–18 delimitation exercises

State Before 1st 2nd Final
delimitation proposal proposal proposal
Perlis 1.68 1.68 1.68 1.68
Kedah 3.31 2.40 2.40 2.40
Kelantan 2.66 2.70 2.66 2.66
Terengganu 2.14 2.52 2.23 2.21
Penang 3.27 3.27 3.27 3.27
Perak 4.44 4.24 4.24 4.24
Pahang 4.08 4.08 4.08 4.08
Selangor 4.96 4.39 4.96 4.39
Negeri Sembilan 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00
Malacca 4.36 3.14 3.81 4.17
Johor 3.76 4.38 4.72 3.82
Sabah 4.55 4.58 4.58 4.58
Sarawak – 4.95 4.68 4.68
Note: e 2015 constituency delimitation exercise for Sarawak did not include pre-
delimitation electorate sizes.

Malpractice 3: Gerrymandering
While malapportionment involves manipulating constituency size,
gerrymandering refers to manipulating the composition of the electorate.
Mainly through interrelated methods of ‘cracking’ and ‘packing’,
gerrymandering shifts ‘wasted votes’, or votes won by losing candidates that
do not translate into seats, across constituencies to a ect the total number of
seats won by favoured and disfavoured parties. Cracking happens to marginal
constituencies, by moving su cient supporters of disfavoured parties to other
constituencies to deny those parties victory; their remaining supporters’ votes
become ‘wasted’. Packing is when supporters of disfavoured parties are shifted
into parties’ strongholds from other constituencies. Since the disfavoured
parties secure many more votes than they need to win those seats, the result is
not wastage, but ‘ine ciency’.

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