Avoiding "Long Weekends" when Scheduling Polling Day for General Elections

83 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in view of the lowest voter turnout for general elections since 1968 (a) whether the Government will commit not to hold polling day for a future election over a "long weekend"; and (b) how many absentee voters in the 2025 General Election have restored their names to the Registers of Electors (i) via Singpass and (ii) via appointment at the Elections Department.

Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): On the date for Polling Day, I do not think it is possible nor in the interest of Singapore to commit to not holding an election on a particular date or during a particular period. The date depends very much on the exigencies of the situation at the time.

On Mr Pritam Singh's second question on the number of restored voters, as of 1 September 2025, 99,140 non-voters from the General Election 2025 have restored their names, which is more than half of the total number of non-voters. About 97% of those who restored their names did so via Singpass, with the remainder doing so in person at community centres/clubs, ServiceSG Centres and the Elections Department office. For those who have not restored their names, I encourage them to do so early so that they can vote at the next election.