Registers Of Electors Have Been Certified So You Can Check Your Voting Rights
The Elections Department Singapore (ELD) has announced that the Registers of Electors are now available for public inspection as of Monday (15 Apr).
In simple English, this means that the ELD has gone through and checked the list of Singaporeans eligible to take part in the upcoming General Elections.
2,594,740 eligible voters
According to this update, there are a grand total of 2,594,740 eligible voters.
If you are internet-savvy and have your SingPass details, you can check your voting eligibility here. Otherwise, bring your passport or NRIC and you can check your eligibility at
- Community Centres and Clubs nationwide
- Elections Department (11 Prinsep Link)
- Singapore overseas missions that serve as overseas registration
centres
As voting in Singapore is a civic responsibility, all citizens are required to vote in all Presidential and General Elections, as long as your district is contested.
Valid reasons not to vote
Singaporeans above 21 have the right to vote, with the general exception of those who failed to vote in previous elections without valid reasons.
According to the ELD, valid reasons for not voting in previous elections include:
- Working overseas when poll is held (e.g. business trip)
- Studying overseas when poll is held
- Living with a spouse who’s working or studying overseas
- On overseas vacation
- Suffering an illness
- Delivering a baby
How to restore your voting rights
If your reason falls into any of the above categories, you can apply to restore your name in the Registers of Voters here.
In the event that you did not have a valid reason for not voting, you’ll have to pay $50 to restore your name to the registers.
You can pre-apply for your name to be restored to the registers here if you have a valid reason for not being able to vote on Polling Day.
Register as an overseas elector
There are 10 overseas polling stations:
- Canberra, Australia
- Beijing, China
- Hong Kong
- Tokyo, Japan
- Dubai, UAE
- London, United Kingdom
- Washington DC, USA
- San Francisco, USA
- New York, USA
If you’re based in these areas, you can apply to be an overseas voter. Just head over to Voter eServices, click Login via SingPass on the left, key in your details, then look for “Register as an Overseas Elector” on the left.
Screenshot courtesy of MS News.
Looks simple enough.
Brace yourselves, elections are coming
With the recent flurry of activity on the political scene, it’d be wise to be more aware of what our politicians are saying and doing.
For what it’s worth, as a private citizen, the timeliness of Law Minister Shanmugam‘s introduction of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill to Parliament is worth applauding.
Just as long as it’s not used as a partisan weapon.
Featured image from Gov.sg.
