SINGAPORE: More digital services are being rolled out to improve convenience for both voters and candidates ahead of the next General Election (GE), the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Friday (Nov 29).
Voters will now be able to login to the SingPass website or mobile app to check their personal particulars such as their name, NRIC and address in the Register of Electors.
They can also check details such as their voting eligibility and voter serial number, as well as electoral division and polling district.
READ: Critical for Singapore to send ‘positive signal’ to the world in next general election – Chan Chun Sing
After nomination day, voters will be able to access an electronic poll card, which can be used in place of the conventional poll card, via the SingPass app or the ELD voter services website.
Physical poll cards will still be mailed out to voters.
READ: SDP says leadership ‘largely unchanged’, ready to contest in next General Election
To better protect personal data in the registers, voters will be required to use the SingPass two-factor authentication (2FA). The ELD is advising voters without SingPass 2FA, especially those who are residing overseas, to register for it early.
The ELD will also be introducing the use of electronic registration at polling stations, where machines scan the voters’ NRICs to register them. This is meant to save time, compared to the existing practice of manual checking against the electoral roll.
Conventional pens will also be replaced by self-inking pens, which are used to stamp an X on the ballot paper. This is meant to make the choice of voters clearer, as well as make the process easier for the elderly.
The self-inking pens are meant to make voting easier for the elderly. (Photo: Zhaki Abdullah)
Self-inking pens will be introduced to make voters’ choices clearer. (Photo: Zhaki Abdullah)
Mechanical counting machines will also be used to tally votes at counting centres, to speed up the counting process, which is currently done manually.
READ: Tan Cheng Bock visits Ghim Moh, Tiong Bahru during first Progress Singapore Party walkabout
The department said it aims to conduct about 40 roadshows to help familiarise voters with the new electronic registration processes, following the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee’s report.
The committee – which is appointed by the Prime Minister – is responsible for reviewing the electoral boundaries, as well as taking into consideration any significant changes in the number of electors in the current electoral divisions.
The formation of the committee, which was announced in September, is the first formal step towards a GE.
READ: Electoral boundaries committee formed – What it means for Singapore’s GE
Candidates meanwhile will now have access to a number of services online – such as appointing election agents, paying election deposits and submitting their names for the ballot paper.
Prospective candidates will be able to apply for a minority candidate certificate for GRCs online, among other things. (Photo: Zhaki Abdullah)
Nomination papers can be drafted online, with the details of proposers, seconders and assentors checked to ensure they are in the relevant Register of Electors.
However, nomination papers will still need to be printed out and submitted on Nomination Day with the relevant signatures obtained, as this process is required by law.
“ELD will hold engagement sessions for political party representatives to try out the new digital services for candidates and provide feedback,” said the department.
They will also be shown the new election equipment.
