Migrant rights activists are blaming the election commission for not doing enough to ensure that Myanmar citizens living and working abroad were able to vote. An estimated 5 million Myanmar workers in Thailand and Malaysia will likely miss out on the election due to unrealistic requirements such as official document restrictions and necessary travel, the activists said.

“It is pretty difficult for Myanmar migrant workers here to vote,” U San Win, chair of the Kampung free funeral service group and an activist for migrant workers in Malaysia, told The Myanmar Times.

There are nearly 700,000 Myanmar migrants in Malaysia, he said, but only about 400,000 of them have official documents. Voting is only possible at the embassy, which means that undocumented workers and those living far from Malaysia’s capital have no chance to cast a ballot, he added.

“The Union Election Commission should have known about these difficulties for migrant workers. In fact, it should have opened polling stations in big cities here. They could have asked for help from civil society groups … But, it looks like they are making sure eligible voters [abroad] will not to be able to vote.”

U Htoo Chit, executive director of the Thailand-based Education and Development Foundation, said most of the estimated 4 million Myanmar workers in Thailand were also being disenfranchised because the election commission overlooked practicalities.

The Myanmar workers largely lack ID cards and are unable to take time off work or cannot afford to travel to the embassy or consulate to register for an advance ballot and then return to vote, he said

“According to the current situation, less than 1 percent of migrant workers will be able to vote,” U Htoo Chit said.

He added that neither the ruling party nor any of the opposition parties have been willing to stand up for the rights of migrant workers or attempt to help them get on the voter lists.

“The votes of millions of Myanmar migrant workers might be pretty important for Myanmar’s reforms. So, we think that it is necessary to set up a system to include the migrant vote in a way that makes it easy for the migrants. Not only the government but also opposition parties in parliament don’t show any interest about this issue. It is a great loss for the country,” U Htoo Chit said.

U Win Myint, a central committee member of the National League for Democracy, said every citizen should have the right to vote, or “it is not a free and fair election”.

The Union Election Commission did not respond to requests for comment.

Just 18,000 overseas voters registered to take part in the elections, according to the commission. The embassies will collect advanced ballots until the end of this month and then send them back to Myanmar.

Translation by Thiri Min Htun