IMPORTANT REMINDERS

This list is not exhaustive but serves as a guide for a candidate on the important reminders at the different stages of the election.

Familiarise yourself with the law on Parliamentary elections if you are thinking of standing as a candidate or in a group of candidates at a Parliamentary election.
The application for a Political Donation Certificate must be submitted not later than two clear days (excluding Sundays and public holidays) before Nomination Day.
The application for a relevant Minority Community Certificate from either the Malay Community Committee, or the Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee must be submitted not later than two clear days (excluding Sundays and public holidays) before Nomination Day.
Disclose to the Registrar, Registry of Political Donations, every reportable arrangement on foreign affiliations to which you are party (including migration benefits granted by or on behalf of a foreign government) in the Foreign Affiliations Report and the accompanying declaration. Both the Foreign Affiliations Report and the accompanying declaration should be submitted to the Registrar not later than two clear days (excluding Sundays and public holidays) before Nomination Day, and should disclose all reportable arrangements in the 12 months before the date of the declaration.
Fill up your name and particulars, and ensure that the names and particulars of the other members in your group (for a Group Representation Constituency (GRC)), and the names and particulars of your subscribers (i.e. proposer, seconder and at least four assentors) are filled up correctly in the Nomination Paper.
All forms should be filled in English and all fields should be completed.
Make sure your proposer, seconder and assentors are registered electors whose names are found in the current Register of Electors of the electoral division that you are thinking of contesting in.
Ensure that you and the other members in your group (for a GRC) each consent to being a candidate, and make the declaration required under Section B in the Nomination Paper before a Commissioner for Oaths or a Justice of the Peace.
Make sure that your political party declares to the Returning Officer, within 12 hours from the issuance of the Writ of Election, any existing Traditional Election Advertising that were displayed before the Writ is issued.

Ensure that you cater time for security clearance which will be conducted before entry into the Holding Area.
Ensure that you have your Nomination papers (i.e. the Nomination Paper and the necessary certificate(s)) and the required number of subscribers (i.e. proposer, seconder and at least four assentors) to file your nomination at the Nomination Place.
Present your Nomination papers (in duplicate), in person to the election officials at the Nomination Place on Nomination Day, which comprise:

For Single Member Constituency
1. your Nomination Paper; and
2. the Political Donation Certificate issued to you;
For Group Representation Constituency
1. your Nomination Paper;
2. the Political Donation Certificate issued to each nominee in your group; and
3. the relevant Minority Community Certificate for the community designated for the electoral division that your group is seeking election, issued to at least one nominee in your group.
Remember to pay the election deposit in full before 12 noon on Nomination Day. Payment can be made via electronic funds transfer (i.e. PayNow or bank transfer), or by a bank draft or cheque certified by the drawee bank as good for payment of the sum stated on it (payable to “ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT”). Do not use a personal cheque or cash to pay the election deposit. We encourage you to pay the deposit early.
Bring along your original NRIC or passport when you deliver your Nomination papers in duplicate at the Nomination Place on Nomination Day.

Appoint your election agent before any campaign contributions are accepted, or any election expenses are incurred (for a Group Representation Constituency, appoint a principal election agent from amongst the election agents of the candidates in the group).
Ensure that proper accounts of the election expenses are maintained and make sure that your election agent understands his roles and obligations.
Do not engage in negative campaigning practices, e.g. denigrating or making false statements about opposing candidates, or making statements that may stoke racial or religious tensions or affect social cohesion.
Issue written authorisations signed by yourself or your election agent to persons whom you or your election agent authorise to conduct election activity, whether online, offline or both. Submit to the Returning Officer the particulars (in duplicate) of all written authorisations issued by you or your election agent.
Issue written authorisations signed by yourself or your election agent to third parties who:
1. publish or cause to be published any paid Online Election Advertising (OEA); and
2. publish or cause to be published, or publicly display or cause to be publicly displayed, any non-online election advertising, including Traditional Election Advertising (TEA).
Ensure your TEA is publicly displayed in the manner set out in sections 61G to 61J of the Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 and the Parliamentary Elections (Election Advertising) Regulations 2024.
Ensure that the display of TEA adheres with the conditions stated in the Returning Officer’s permit issued to every candidate/group of candidates authorising the public display of TEA by or on behalf of candidates.
Lodge a copy, image, detailed diagram or drawing of the TEA with the Returning Officer, together with the published-by requirements, before the TEA is publicly displayed.
Ensure that each TEA (including those on perambulating vehicles) is affixed with an official stamp issued by the Returning Officer for the entire period that it is publicly displayed within the electoral division you are contesting in.
Do not display small or large TEA in excess of the maximum number allowed to be publicly displayed by or on behalf of a candidate.
Ensure that your TEA is only displayed at permissible locations.
Ensure that your TEA is not displayed in any area within 50 metres of any polling station for the entire period that it is on display.
Ensure that your TEA does not pose a safety hazard or risk, and complies with prevailing safety guidelines or requirements.
Do not destroy, damage, deface or remove any TEA displayed by other candidates/groups of candidates.
Apply for the relevant Police permits for the conduct of election meetings or for the use of vehicles (mechanically-propelled or otherwise) to broadcast pre-recorded election messages during campaigning.
Ensure campaign activities comply with Singapore laws and the relevant regulations.
Declare to the Returning Officer all OEA (whether paid or unpaid) and non-online election advertising published using an electronic service (such as on an Internet platform, or using communication services such as private-messaging services, email, SMS):
1. within 12 hours after the start of the campaign period – for all election advertising published within 12 hours after the start of the campaign period; and
2. before the election advertising is published – for all election advertising published after 12 hours from the start of the campaign period.
Declare to the Returning Officer if the election advertising is paid for (in money or money’s worth), and if so, provide further information including:
1. the identity particulars of the publisher of the paid election advertising;
2. the date on which the paid election advertising was or will be first published; and
3. the period of publication or intended publication.
Do not set up your election office in the area within 200 metres of any polling station.
Do not set up more than one election office for each polling district.
Ensure that your polling agents, counting agents or other supporters do not wear, carry or display any badge, symbol, flag, advertisement, poster or placard as political propaganda on Cooling-off Day and Polling Day.

Appoint your polling agents early and inform the election officials at each polling station in writing of the name of polling agent(s) who would be present at that polling station.
Be present at the polling station 15 minutes before polling begins, and at the close of polling, if you or your polling agents wish to witness the sealing of the ballot boxes.
Remember to complete the Oath of Secrecy and bring it with you when you visit the first polling station.
Do comply and ensure that your polling agents comply with all reasonable requests made by election officials at the polling station to ensure a smooth and orderly poll. Treat our election officials with kindness and respect. Any form of abuse against our election officials will not be tolerated.
Inform your polling agents to pay close attention when election officials are reading out the particulars of the voters, if they wish to keep track of who has voted.
Make sure that you and your polling agents wear the election passes at all times while in any polling station. Only you will be allowed to wear your symbol when visiting the polling stations.
Do not use threats, intimidation, deception or fraud to persuade voters to vote in a particular way.
Do not loiter in any street or public place within 200 metres of any polling station.
Do not disrupt or influence the voting process, e.g. dissuade anyone from voting.
Do note that at the close of poll, you and your polling agents may observe the packing of election materials into envelopes and affix your seals or sign on the envelopes. You and your polling agents may also affix your seals or sign on the ballot boxes after the election officials have completed the sealing of the ballot boxes at the close of poll. Do not paste over the Returning Officer’s seals or damage the Returning Officer’s seals in the process.

Submit the Indemnity Form for Participation in Observing the Transportation of Sealed Ballot Boxes two hours before the close of poll to the election officials if you are boarding the vehicle. Decide in advance who will be boarding the vehicle as only one person per candidate/group of candidates will be allowed to participate. You will have priority over your polling agent.
Observe the rules stated in the Indemnity Form for Participation in Observing the Transportation of Sealed Ballot Boxes.
Do not touch the sealed ballot boxes.
Do not smoke, eat or drink onboard the vehicle.
Do not use any photography, audio or videography equipment while onboard the vehicle.

Appoint your counting agents well ahead of time and notify the election officials in writing of the names of the counting agents who would be present at that counting centre. You may appoint one counting agent at every counting place to observe the proceedings of the count for votes cast in Singapore.
For counting of votes cast overseas, not more than five counting agents per independent candidate, group of independent candidates or political party that fielded candidate(s) at the election may be appointed to observe the count. Political parties are required to manage the appointments of the five counting agents from amongst the candidates/groups of candidates they have fielded. Do note the maximum number of representatives at areas demarcated for pre-count examination of postal voting papers.
Do not touch the ballot papers during the counting of votes or attempt to read the serial number printed at the back of each ballot paper at any time.
Treat our election officials with kindness and respect. Any form of abuse against our election officials will not be tolerated.

Remove all display of Traditional Election Advertising within six days after Polling Day. Ensure all materials used for the display (e.g. cable ties) are completely removed.
Submit to the Returning Officer a declaration that you and your election agent did not authorise any foreigner to conduct any election activity and did not undertake or authorise any conduct of election activities in accordance with the directions, instructions or wishes of a foreign principal. The declaration must be submitted no later than the seventh day after the election result is published in the Government Gazette.
Submit a return respecting election expenses and declarations by you and your election agent to the Returning Officer within 31 days after the election result is published in the Government Gazette. Payments for claims and election expenses must be made no later than 28 days after the election result is published in the Government Gazette.
Ensure that your election agent submits the post-election disclosures on reportable political donations to the Registrar, Registry of Political Donations, disclosing all reportable political donations received and accepted by you or on your behalf, no later than 31 days after the election result is published in the Government Gazette. You must not accept political donations from impermissible donors, and must not accept anonymous donations totalling $5,000 or more from the date 12 months before your pre-election declaration up to the date of your post-election declaration.
Ensure that your election agent discloses to the Registrar, Registry of Political Donations, every reportable arrangement on foreign affiliations to which he is a party (including migration benefits granted by or on behalf of a foreign government), from the day after he was appointed as an election agent up to the 31st day after the election result is published in the Government Gazette.

	CORRUPT PRACTICES

A person convicted of a Corrupt Practice under the Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 (PEA) will not be allowed to do the following things for seven years from the date of his conviction:

register as an elector;
vote at an election;
be elected as the President or a Member of Parliament (MP); and
be appointed as an election agent.

The following acts constitute Corrupt Practices under the PEA:

aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring of a person to cast the vote in the name of someone else (personation);
treating, undue influence or bribery as defined in the PEA;
non-compliance with the published-by requirements, which require that any election advertising published or publicly displayed during the election period should include on or in it:
1. the identity particulars of every person who authorised the publishing or public display of the election advertising;
2. the identity particulars of every person who approved the content in the election advertising before the election advertising is published or publicly displayed, if the content is approved by a person not described in (i) above;
3. the identity particulars of every person for whom or at whose direction the election advertising was published or publicly displayed, if the person is not described in paragraphs (i) or (ii) above;
4. if all or part of the production of the election advertising, or the publication or public display of the election advertising, is paid for in money or money’s worth:
5. the identity particulars of every printer of the election advertising, if the election advertising is printed;
knowingly makes or publishes in Singapore, before or during any election, for the purpose of affecting the return of any candidate content that is or contains, any false statement of fact in relation to the personal character or conduct of the candidate;
knowingly makes or publishes in Singapore, before or during any election, for the purpose of promoting or procuring the election of any candidate content that is or contains, any false statement of the withdrawal of any other candidate at the election; or
being a candidate or election agent, knowingly makes the declaration as to election expenses or corrections to returns respecting election expenses falsely.

	ILLEGAL PRACTICES

A person convicted of an illegal practice under the PEA will not be allowed to do the following things for three years from the date of his conviction:

register as an elector;
vote at an election; or
be elected as the President or an MP.

It is an Illegal Practice for candidates to knowingly spend more than the maximum amount allowable under the law. But take note that this amount does not include candidates’ personal expenses or fees paid to their election agents that amount to $500 or less.

It is also an Illegal Practice to expend on the following acts for the purpose of swaying the voters’ choice of candidate:

convey voters to and from the poll whether by means of hiring any form of transport or otherwise;
pay any elector or voter to use a house, land, building or premises for the exhibition of an address, bill or notice; or
pay any elector or voter to exhibit an address, bill or notice.

No one is allowed to let, lend, employ, hire, borrow or use a vehicle for the transportation of electors or voters to or from the polling station, except when the vehicle is used to transport himself or his immediate family members to and from the polling station.

It may also be an Illegal Practice if an election agent fails to follow the law relating to:

claims and payments; and
returns and declarations for election expenses.

In relation to claims and payments, election agents should not make any payment to a claim if the claim is made to them after 14 days from the date of publication of the election result in the Government Gazette. They should also ensure that if a claim is made legally, the payment must be made within 28 days from the date of publication of the election result in the Government Gazette.

The candidate shall be guilty of an Illegal Practice if the post-election declaration on “no foreign influence” is not submitted to the Returning Officer by the seventh day after the election result is published in the Government Gazette.

POST-ELECTION ACTIVITIES

CANDIDATE PUBLICATIONS