Unless the Returning Officer specifies otherwise, voting at all ordinary polling stations in Singapore starts at 8 am and ends at 8 pm.

A voter must cast his vote in person and only at the ordinary polling station to which he has been allotted.

	NUMBER OF POLLING AGENTS

Polling agents may be appointed either by the candidate or his election agent on his behalf or, in the case of a group of candidates, by any candidate in the group or the principal election agent for the group or the election agent of any candidate in that group on behalf of the group of candidates. The number of polling agents that may be admitted to an ordinary polling station in an electoral division is one polling agent per candidate/group of candidates for every 1,000 electors (or part thereof) allotted to the ordinary polling station.

	FORMS TO PRODUCE BEFORE ENTERING ORDINARY POLLING STATIONS

For candidates

Candidates are allowed to enter ordinary polling stations in the electoral division that they are contesting in to observe the polling proceedings. The candidate will need to produce a duly completed and signed Oath of Secrecy form and show his original NRIC (physical or digital) or valid passport at the main entrance of the first polling station he visits. After checking, the election official will retain the Oath of Secrecy form.

For polling agents

Every polling agent must produce a duly completed and signed Oath of Secrecy form, evidence of his appointment as a polling agent, and his original NRIC (physical or digital) or valid passport to the election official at the main entrance of the first ordinary polling station. The polling agent’s evidence of appointment should be in the form of the Appointment of Polling Agent form. After checking, the election official will retain both forms.

The polling agent must submit a new duly completed and signed Appointment of Polling Agent form for each ordinary polling station that he enters. After checking against the polling agent’s original NRIC (physical or digital) or valid passport, the election official will retain the Appointment of Polling Agent form. If the polling agent presents a Polling Agent Re-entry card bearing an Acknowledgement of Oath of Secrecy label (i.e. the polling agent had earlier submitted his Oath of Secrecy form at another ordinary polling station), the polling agent does NOT need to submit another Oath of Secrecy form.

Nominated candidates and their election agents can download the forms via Candidate Services. The forms in hard copy will also be provided to candidates at the end of nomination proceedings on Nomination Day if the election is contested.

	UNDERSTANDING THE VOTING PROCESS

Before start of poll

Before start of the poll, election officials will show to the candidates and polling agents present at the ordinary polling station that the ballot boxes and their covers are empty before sealing the boxes. Ballot boxes are sealed before the start of the poll in such a way that ballot papers cannot be taken out without having to break the tamper-proof seals. The sealing of the ballot boxes starts 10 minutes before the poll opens.

As soon as the ballot boxes are sealed, the election officials will direct voters to the registration tables and open the poll at 8 am (or such other time as the Returning Officer may specify).

Polling process at ordinary polling stations

Each person whose name is on a Register of Electors is entitled to one ballot paper and has only one vote. A voter must cast his vote in person; no proxy voting is permitted.

Before issuing a ballot paper to a voter, the election official will:

1. authenticate the identity of the voter, by checking the voter’s poll card and personal identification document (only the original NRIC (physical or digital), valid passport, or identity cards issued by the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force are acceptable);
• eRegistration devices will be used at ordinary polling stations in Singapore to scan personal identification documents for registration.
2. ensure that he is a registered voter;
3. check that the ballot paper is authentic, i.e. it bears the official mark on it;
4. call out the voter’s serial number and name according to the register;
5. write the voter’s serial number on the counterfoil of the ballot paper;
6. fold the ballot paper in half; and
7. hand the ballot paper to the voter, who will use a self-inking X-Stamp or his own pen to indicate his choice of vote on the ballot paper.

If the election official ascertains from the eRegistration device that the voter is registered as an overseas voter, the election official will ask the voter to sign the Declaration by Voter form to declare that he has not already cast a vote overseas or by the postal voting method. The election official will proceed to issue the voter with a ballot paper only after the declaration is made.

No ballot paper will be given if the voter’s name does not appear in the Register of Electors for that ordinary polling station.

No person, except an election official acting for a purpose authorised by the law (i.e. explaining the method of voting on the request of a voter in the presence of polling agents (if present), or assisting a voter who by reason of blindness or other physical disability is unable to vote), is allowed to communicate or attempt to communicate with any voter after the voter has received a ballot paper and before the voter has placed it in a ballot box.

A tendered ballot paper (which is blue) will be issued to a person to cast his vote if the person insists on voting even after the election official has explained that according to the eRegistration device, the person has already voted (i.e. the voter’s attendance to vote has already been recorded in the eRegistration device of that ordinary polling station earlier during Polling Day). Before a tendered ballot paper is given, the person has to first make a declaration as to his identity by signing the Oath of Identity form.

If a voter claims that he has made a mistake on the first ballot paper given to him or that he has accidentally spoilt it, the election official may issue the voter another ballot paper. The election official has to take back the spoilt ballot paper and mark “CANCELLED” on it before sealing it in an envelope.

At the end of poll, the slits through which marked ballot papers are dropped into the ballot boxes are sealed to ensure that nothing else can be dropped into them.

Legal powers of election officials during voting

The election official or any other person authorised by him may explain the method of voting to a voter who requested him to do so. Polling agents may listen in if they wish to.

The election official may, only on the request of a voter, help the voter to mark his ballot paper if the voter is unable to mark the ballot paper as a result of blindness or other physical disability. The election official will mark the ballot paper according to the voter’s directions and then place the ballot paper in the ballot box. Another election official will witness the process as a safeguard. No polling agents are allowed to be present when the election official is helping the voter to mark the ballot paper. This is to ensure voting secrecy. Every election official is under oath to keep the voter’s ballot a secret.

For any visually impaired voter who wishes to mark the ballot paper on his own, the election official will insert the ballot paper into a plastic stencil and pass the stencil to the voter to allow him to indicate his choice in one of the cut-out boxes on the stencil. The election official will speak clearly and audibly to the voter (so that the polling agents may also hear) as to the arrangement of the candidates’ names printed on the ballot paper. The voter will then proceed to mark the ballot paper at the polling booth.

If an election official notices that a voter is taking an unusually long time at the polling booth, the election official may also take such steps as are necessary to expedite the process.

Observing the process to transport sealed ballot boxes from ordinary polling stations to counting centres

The candidate or his polling agents may observe the process to transport the sealed ballot boxes from the polling stations to the counting centres.

For polling stations that are co-located with or near the counting centres, the candidate or his polling agent may accompany the sealed ballot boxes when they are carried by election officials from the ordinary polling station to the counting centre. For each ordinary polling station, only one person per candidate/group of candidates will be allowed to participate. The candidate will have priority over his polling agent.

Where a vehicle is used to transport the sealed ballot boxes from the ordinary polling stations to the counting centres, the candidate or his polling agent may board the vehicle, provided that he informs the election official at the ordinary polling station in advance and completes and signs an Indemnity Form for Participation in Observing the Transportation of Sealed Ballot Boxes before 6 pm on Polling Day. He should be present and ready to board the vehicle after the ballot boxes are sealed and not delay the transportation process. The vehicle will not wait for the candidate or polling agent who is late even if he has submitted his Indemnity Form earlier. If there is already one polling agent representing the candidate/group of candidates on the vehicle, any other polling agent representing the same candidate/group of candidates will not be allowed to board.

Singaporeans residing overseas who have successfully registered themselves as overseas voters may cast their votes at their designated overseas polling stations or via the postal voting method. Once they are registered as overseas voters who will cast their votes at one of the overseas polling stations, they may cast their votes either at the overseas polling station allotted to them or at the ordinary polling station allotted to them in Singapore, but not at both for the same election.

The hours of poll at overseas polling stations will be no less than four hours and may start in advance of the poll on Polling Day in Singapore. However, an overseas poll must close no later than the close of poll on Polling Day in Singapore.

	POLLING AGENTS

Number of polling agents

For polling overseas, every political party with candidate(s) standing for election, and every independent candidate or group of independent candidates standing for election, may appoint one polling agent to be present at each overseas polling station.

The responsible officer of the political party, the independent candidate (whether part of a group of independent candidates or not), or the election agent/principal election agent of the independent candidate or group of independent candidates must submit in writing the full names (as stated in NRIC) and NRIC numbers of the polling agents appointed at each overseas polling station (if any) to the Returning Officer no later than two clear days before the start of the polls at the overseas polling stations. The names and NRIC numbers of polling agents appointed at respective overseas polling stations may be submitted via an online form.

	FORMS TO PRODUCE BEFORE ENTERING OVERSEAS POLLING STATIONS

Every polling agent must produce a duly completed and signed Oath of Secrecy form and his original NRIC (physical or digital) or valid passport to the election official at the overseas polling station. After checking, the election official will retain the Oath of Secrecy form.

Candidates and their election agents can download the form via Candidate Services. The form in hard copy will also be provided to candidates at the end of nomination proceedings on Nomination Day if the election is contested.

	UNDERSTANDING THE VOTING PROCESS

The voting process at overseas polling stations is similar to the voting process at ordinary polling stations in Singapore. eRegistration devices will also be used at overseas polling stations.

Eligible Singaporeans residing overseas have the option to cast their votes by post.

The postal voting period starts the day immediately after the Nomination Day and ends on the eve of Polling Day in Singapore.

An overseas voter who has registered and is designated as a postal voter may record his vote at the poll either by postal voting, or at his allotted polling station in Singapore, but not at both for the same election.

A postal voter must go through the following steps before the end of the postal voting period to record his vote by the postal voting method:

1. Apply for postal voting papers (comprising a postal ballot paper and a return envelope) to be issued to him by:
1. applying, at any time during the postal voting period, for postal voting papers to be issued in an electronic form via Voter Services; or
2. applying, no later than two days after the Writ of Election has been issued, for postal voting papers to be issued in hard copy by sending an email to the Elections Department at contact@eld.gov.sg or via an application form on Voter Services.


2. If postal voting papers are issued in electronic form, download the postal ballot paper and return envelope and print them on separate pieces of paper (single-sided).
3. Mark his vote on the postal ballot paper, fold and insert it in the return envelope, seal and sign on the return envelope.
4. Post the sealed return envelope without delay, and before the end of the postal voting period.

Candidates may refer to the Voting by Post webpage to find out more about the steps involved in the postal voting process.

	MAINTAINING SECRECY OF VOTING

Candidates and polling agents who are present at a polling station must maintain secrecy of voting at all times. They have to take their oaths of secrecy and must submit their duly completed and signed Oath of Secrecy forms to the election official before entering the first polling station. In order to allow election officials to focus on the conduct of polling, candidates and polling agents should approach a Justice of the Peace or Commissioner for Oaths beforehand, and not approach election officials, to assist in the administration of the oath of secrecy for candidates and polling agents.

It is important to bear in mind that before the poll closes, everyone is prohibited (except for purposes authorised by law) from communicating to any person any information as to a voter’s name or serial number on the Register of Electors, who has or has not been given a ballot paper or voted at that polling station, or as to the official mark on the ballot paper.

Maintaining secrecy in voting at the polling station also means that no person shall attempt to find out, or to communicate to any person, which candidate a voter in the station is about to vote or has voted for, or the number on the back of the ballot paper given to any voter at the polling station.

	PARKING AND SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

Candidates are reminded that no parking will be allowed at polling stations unless the vehicle has the appropriate label issued by the Elections Department. Within each closed polling station, e.g. in a school, there will be special drop-off points for vehicles conveying the sick, infirmed or disabled persons. Election officials may allow such vehicles to park within the compounds of the premises. Drivers can approach the election officials for assistance and direction. Police will put in place security measures in and around polling stations. Candidates and polling agents are advised not to bring sharp object(s), flammable liquids or gas, bulky items or big bags into the polling stations.

In general, candidates and voters are advised to take public transport or walk to the polling stations. They should also not loiter around the vicinity of the polling stations without valid reasons.

	ELECTION PASSES

Candidates and polling agents may keep their election passes after the election is over.

Voting is compulsory. As such, it is an offence for candidates and polling agents to dissuade someone from giving his vote at an election.

Candidates and polling agents must wear their election passes at all times while in any polling station. However, only the candidate will be allowed to wear party logos when visiting polling stations in the electoral division he seeks election for.

The sealing of ballot boxes at the opening of the poll and at the close of the poll may be witnessed by candidates and their polling agents, but their attendance at these proceedings is not compulsory under the law. In order to ensure that polling and counting start on time without delay, election officials can and will proceed with the sealing of ballot boxes even if the candidates or their polling agents are absent. Hence, candidates and polling agents should take note of the time that the sealing of ballot boxes will take place (i.e. 10 minutes before the start of the poll, and at the close of the poll). They must be punctual if they wish to observe the sealing of the ballot boxes.

Polling agents, who want to keep track as to who has voted, should pay close attention when election officials are reading out the particulars of the voters. Polling agents are not allowed to compare their copies of the registers against the records of attendance in the eRegistration devices to confirm the voters who have or have not voted.

A polling agent who needs to leave the polling station should leave his copy of the Register of Electors at that polling station. This is to ensure that information on any voter on the Register of Electors who has or has not been given a ballot paper or voted at that station is not divulged.

A candidate or polling agent authorised to be in attendance at a polling station may, before the poll closes, ask an election official for the total number of voters who have voted at the polling station. However, the election official has the discretion to decide whether he can accede to the request for information; the election official will try his best to answer but his priority under the law is to ensure the continuous and orderly conduct of the poll at the polling station.

At the close of the poll, candidates and their polling agents may observe the packing of election materials into envelopes and bags and affix their seals or sign on the envelopes and bags if they wish to do so. They may also affix their seals or sign on the ballot boxes after the election officials have completed the sealing of the ballot boxes at the close of the poll. However, candidates and their polling agents must be careful not to paste over the Returning Officer’s seals or damage the Returning Officer’s seals in the process.