Chan Chun Sing on presidential and parliamentary elections amendment bills
The Elections Department (ELD) will pilot special polling arrangements in nursing homes with more than 50 voters. This will involve 25 to 30 nursing homes and reach out to over 2,000 voters, which is about two-thirds of registered voters currently residing in nursing homes. The outcome of the pilot will help to scope the provision of special polling arrangements at nursing homes for subsequent elections. The list of nursing homes selected for the pilot will be made public on Nomination Day, if the election is contested. Polling agents will be allowed to witness the conduct of polls at the nursing homes to give candidates assurance on the integrity and secrecy of voting. Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing outlined this proposed key change in Parliament on Monday (Mar 6). Another proposed amendment is postal voting for eligible Singapore citizens living, studying or working overseas. They will be able to mail in their votes even if there are travel disruptions or restrictions. ELD intends to implement processes supported by technology to provide assurance on the integrity and secrecy of postal voting, said Mr Chan. He also outlined the steps that have to be taken to vote by post. To ensure that only bona fide postal ballot papers are counted, there will be a pre-count process in Singapore to sieve out the return envelopes which do not meet the criteria for counting. Ahead of the upcoming Presidential Election, ELD will demonstrate the process and the system to be used to the media and political parties. There will be safeguards to deal with offences such as forging or fraudulently defacing return envelopes. Another set of amendments seeks to update election advertising laws and support informed voting by making those who publish election advertising responsible for their communications. Mr Chan said the proposals are part of ELD’s regular efforts to update and refine the electoral rules and processes. He said they will help to enhance voter accessibility and engender greater trust and confidence in the election administration and electoral processes.
The Elections Department (ELD) will pilot special polling arrangements in nursing homes with more than 50 voters. This will involve 25 to 30 nursing homes and reach out to over 2,000 voters, which is about two-thirds of registered voters currently residing in nursing homes. The outcome of the pilot will help to scope the provision of special polling arrangements at nursing homes for subsequent elections. The list of nursing homes selected for the pilot will be made public on Nomination Day, if the election is contested. Polling agents will be allowed to witness the conduct of polls at the nursing homes to give candidates assurance on the integrity and secrecy of voting. Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing outlined this proposed key change in Parliament on Monday (Mar 6). Another proposed amendment is postal voting for eligible Singapore citizens living, studying or working overseas. They will be able to mail in their votes even if there are travel disruptions or restrictions. ELD intends to implement processes supported by technology to provide assurance on the integrity and secrecy of postal voting, said Mr Chan. He also outlined the steps that have to be taken to vote by post. To ensure that only bona fide postal ballot papers are counted, there will be a pre-count process in Singapore to sieve out the return envelopes which do not meet the criteria for counting. Ahead of the upcoming Presidential Election, ELD will demonstrate the process and the system to be used to the media and political parties. There will be safeguards to deal with offences such as forging or fraudulently defacing return envelopes. Another set of amendments seeks to update election advertising laws and support informed voting by making those who publish election advertising responsible for their communications. Mr Chan said the proposals are part of ELD’s regular efforts to update and refine the electoral rules and processes. He said they will help to enhance voter accessibility and engender greater trust and confidence in the election administration and electoral processes.
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