Online queue checking, more polling stations to reduce crowds and wait times: Elections Department

Voting for the upcoming presidential election - should there be one - will be improved with changes such as online queue checking and a better stamp, the Elections Department (ELD) announced today (July 24).

Compared to General Election 2020, there will be 15 per cent more polling stations (1,264 compared to 1,097) which will help disperse crowds, reducing the number of voters per station in the upcoming presidential election.

Additionally, each station will have more registration and ballot paper counters, meaning less time will be spent waiting in queue for one's turn to vote.

The elderly would benefit the most from these changes, as it would minimise the difficulty of travelling on foot to the polling station and waiting in line for their turn, said ELD. 

These were among the improvements to voting arrangements announced by the ELD on Monday.

The ELD has also made queuing more convenient - voters will be able to access a VoteQ hyperlink via the ePoll card on their Singpass app, which will show them the queue status on Polling Day.

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Moreover, the physical poll cards - which will be mailed after Nomination Day - will also sport a QR code this year which will allow voters to access the VoteQ website directly, if the election is contested. 

Whichever method one choose's to access the VoteQ web page, the website will automatically fill in one's postal code, further simplifying the process.

Another step taken to smoothen the voting process is the introduction of the X-stamp. Its predecessor, the X-Pen, caused some misunderstandings previously as some voters mistook it as an actual pen and tried to write a cross with it, the ELD shared.

There were also false claims that the X-Pens provided at polling booths then did not stamp properly, and that that would render many votes invalid.

The X-stamp is exactly what it claims to be - a stamp. Albeit simple, the stamp also has functionalities that aim to make the voting process even more convenient.

An X-shape is marked at the top of the stamp, allowing voters to align the stamp mark directly above the box to be filled, reducing the margin for error.

The stamp itself is also easy to push down and doesn't require much force, so all voters can clearly indicate their vote.

Overseas voting

To be eligible for overseas voting, Singaporeans overseas must also meet the residency requirement of residing in Singapore for an aggregate of at least 30 days in the last three years.

The law was recently amended that this requirement has to be met before the date of registration to be an overseas voter, rather than by the prescribed date for the revision of the Registers of Electors, which was on June 1, 2023.

Singaporeans whose names are currently listed in the voter rolls but who are now based overseas can apply to register as overseas electors to vote by post or at one of 10 designated overseas polling stations.

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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