Rationale in Determining Polling Stations Based on Voters' Addresses at Last Revision Date of Registers of Electors
Prime Minister's OfficeSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Ng Ling Ling's inquiry into the rationale for allocating polling stations based on addresses at the last register revision and whether the inspection period for updating particulars can be extended. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing explained that the Elections Department updates registers based on a legally prescribed date to ensure voter particulars align with official national registration records. The process includes a statutory two-week inspection period and a claimant list review to resolve objections before the registers are certified prior to the Writ of Election. This certification provides candidates with certainty regarding the participating electorate, and no further changes to voter particulars are allowed until the next revision cycle. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing concluded that the current timeframe is reasonable and urged voters to update their NRIC addresses promptly to ensure accurate register updates.
Transcript
3 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Prime Minister (a) what is the rationale for the Elections Department to determine polling stations based on voters’ addresses based on the last revision date of the Registers of Electors; and (b) whether more time can be given to voters, beyond the two weeks of public inspection, to update their particulars so as to be allocated a nearer polling station due to a change of address after the last revision date of the Registers.
Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): To update on changes to the electorate, the Elections Department (ELD) prepares new Registers of Electors based on a prescribed date as set out under the law. The prescribed date was revised to 1 June 2023 earlier this year. This means that for Presidential Election 2023, the particulars of voters, including their residential addresses, were updated based on latest records kept by the Commissioner of National Registration as of 1 June 2023. As the Registers prepared based on the prescribed date of 1 June 2023 are the latest copies of the Registers, ELD assigns voters to polling stations based on the residential addresses in these Registers.
For Presidential Election 2023, the exercise to revise the Registers was completed on 14 June 2023. The two-week period for the public to inspect the Registers is prescribed by law. ELD issued a press release to inform the public that the Registers were available for inspection for the two-week period from 15 June 2023 to 28 June 2023. In the same press release, ELD advised Singaporeans that they may submit a claim to update their particulars, including their addresses, if these are different from what is reflected in their NRICs. This information was covered by the media and shared via Digital Display Panels in the lift landings of HDB flats, ServiceSG centres and at over 100 community centres/clubs. Singaporeans can check their particulars using Voter Services on ELD’s website, “My Profile” on Singpass Mobile App and “Home” on LifeSG App. Those who are unable to check their particulars in the registers electronically may do so at ServiceSG centres and community centres/clubs near their homes or at the ELD office.
Under the law, after the two-week inspection period, ELD is required to put up a Claimant List, setting out the various claims by voters, for public inspection. This is to allow eligible individuals to raise any objections to the claims. For this exercise, the inspection period of the Claimant List took place from 12 July 2023 to 19 July 2023. ELD can only certify the Registers at the end of this period after all claims have been dealt with. The Registers of Electors were certified on 20 July 2023, which was a few weeks before the Writ was issued for the Presidential Election.
Once the Registers are certified, no changes to the particulars of the voters, including their addresses, may be made until the Registers are next revised. This is to provide certainty to the candidates on the voters that would be participating in the election. The current two-week period is a reasonable amount of time for the public to inspect the Registers and to make changes to their particulars. We encourage voters to promptly update changes to their particulars on their NRICs, so that the revised Registers also reflect these particulars.