Reasons for 45% of Total Postal Votes Being Rejected for Counting at 2025 General Election
Ministry of FinanceSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the high rejection rate of postal votes in the 2025 General Election, as Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song inquired about the reasons for 45% of these votes being excluded from the count. Minister Chan Chun Sing, representing the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, attributed the rejections to missing or illegible postmarks, signature mismatches, and damaged envelopes. To reduce future attrition, the Elections Department will enhance outreach to educate voters on correctly matching specimen signatures and posting their ballot papers early. Minister Chan Chun Sing also advised voters to consider affixing postage stamps to ensure postmarking and using express airmail services for greater delivery assurance. These measures aim to ensure that more postal ballot papers reach the Returning Officer in time and meet the requirements for counting.
Transcript
70 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what are the reasons that led to 2,734 postal votes or 45% of the total postal votes of 6,097 received in Singapore being rejected for counting at the 2025 General Election; (b) whether the Elections Department is reviewing how such a high attrition rate can be reduced.
Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): At the General Election 2025, 45% of the postal voting return envelopes containing postal ballot papers which reached the Returning Officer in time, that is, by the 10th day after Polling Day, were rejected for counting due to (a) faint, illegible, or missing postmarks; (b) mismatched specimen and wet-ink signature; and (c) torn or opened return envelopes. Before each postal voting return envelope is rejected, it would be shown to the candidates and counting agents present and the reason for rejection would also be pointed out to them.
To reduce the attrition rate, the Elections Department will continue to strengthen its outreach efforts ahead of the next election, to educate postal voters on what to do to better ensure that their postal ballot papers reach Singapore in time and be accepted for counting. These include ensuring that postal voters use the same signature as that presented as their specimen signature and posting their postal ballot papers early. To minimise the problem of missing postmarks, even though the postal voting return envelope is pre-paid, postal voters may wish to affix a postage stamp. This is because postal service operators are more likely to postmark postage stamps on the envelopes to prevent their reuse. Postal voters can also consider using express airmail services to have greater assurance of the proper delivery of their postal voting return envelopes.