The process of reviewing and delimiting Parliamentary and State Constituencies is one of the responsibilities of the Commission. Each constituency comprises a number of electors living in an identifiable geographical area. In conducting the review, the Commission is assisted by the Survey Department, the Statistics Department and the Attorney General’s Chambers.

The Election Commission undertakes to review the constituencies at intervals of not less than eight years, following the date of completion of the last review. This review must be completed within two years from the date the review commences. Generally, the review of State Legislative Assembly Constituencies, other than in Sarawak, is undertaken at the same time as the review of Parliamentary Constituencies.

In carrying out the delimitation of constituencies, the Election Commission adheres to, as far as possible, the principles stipulated under the 13th Schedule of the Federal Constitution, as follows:

a) while having regard to the desirability of giving all electors reasonably convenient opportunities of going to the polls, constituencies ought to be delimited so that they do not cross State boundaries and regard ought to be made to the inconveniences of State Constituencies crossing the boundaries of Federal Constituencies;

b) regard ought to be made to the administrative facilities available within the constituencies for the establishment of the necessary registration and polling machineries;

c) the number of electors within each constituency in a State ought to be approximately equal except that, having regard to the greater difficulty of reaching electors in the rural areas and the other disadvantages facing such constituencies, a measure of weightage for area ought to be given to the constituencies concerned, and

d) regard ought to be made to the inconveniences arising from alterations of constituencies, and to the maintenance of local ties.

The process of delimitation commences with the submission of the notice of provisional recommendations by the Commission to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Prime Minister. At the same time the notice is published in at east one local newspaper, gazetted and displayed in all the constituencies for public scrutiny and comments for a period of one month.

The Commission must hold a local inquiry in respect of representations made within the period of display by any State Government or local authority or a body of one hundred or more electors of any constituency affected by the review.

Immediately after the enquiry, any revised recommendation will again be displayed for public scrutiny for another month. The Commission need not hold more than two local enquiries.

The final recommendation is then submitted to the Prime Minister to be tabled before the House of Representatives for approval. The new constituencies will only come into force upon the dissolution of Parliament and/or the State Legislative Assemblies.

The present list of Parliamentary and State constituencies can be checked using the website facility.