Polling district changes for 12 constituencies in latest update ahead of GE2025
CHANGES have recently been made to polling districts in 12 constituencies, signalling that the work of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) is under way.
This is the third time polling districts have been updated by the Elections Department since the 2020 general election. They were previously updated in June 2023 and June 2024.
With the recent round of changes, nine constituencies – most of which have seen voter numbers go up – now have more polling districts.
The other three did not have adjustments to the number of polling districts, but had redrawings between neighbouring districts.
Polling districts are sub-divisions in a constituency with at least one polling station each.
The changes are part of the process before the next general election, and were published in the government gazette on Feb 14.
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The 12 affected constituencies are Aljunied, East Coast, Holland-Bukit Timah, Jurong, Marine Parade, Pasir Ris-Punggol, Tampines, Tanjong Pagar and West Coast GRCs, as well as the single-seat wards of Hong Kah North, Potong Pasir and Yio Chu Kang.
The number of polling districts increased in all except Marine Parade, Tampines and Tanjong Pagar GRCs.
While the adjustments do not necessarily impact how constituency boundaries will be redrawn, these changes will be referred to in the EBRC’s upcoming report. A change in polling districts within a constituency means voters may cast their ballots at a different polling station than before.
The committee can also create new electoral divisions by moving polling districts from one constituency to another.
Observers said polling district changes are typically made for several reasons: population shifts, to make voting more convenient with nearer polling stations, and to ensure each district serves around the same number of voters.
In these updates, polling districts have often been re-numbered for administrative reasons and district boundaries redrawn, resulting in more or fewer polling districts overall. The larger constituency boundaries remain the same.
The latest updates come after the EBRC was convened on Jan 22. The next general election, widely expected by mid-year, is due by November 2025.
The maps show that changes often take place where new Build-to-Order projects have sprung up.
In Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, the completion of projects such as Northshore Residences I and II has seen one polling district redrawn into six.
Tampines GRC has seen a similar change, as what used to be a single polling district in Tampines North is now six, after new residents moved into estates like GreenVines and GreenCourt.
Generally, constituencies that saw increases in registered voters over the last five years also saw increases in the number of polling districts.
But there are a few exceptions. For example, Aljunied GRC has 3,561 fewer voters but three more polling districts.
A smoother and more convenient voting process
Polling district boundaries likely also change because of feedback from recent elections – for instance, that queues at polling stations were too long – and the desire to even out voter numbers across districts, observers concurred.
The goal is to make voting efficient and smooth, and for each district to serve around the same number of voters, said Singapore Management University (SMU) law don Eugene Tan.
During the 2023 presidential election, the number of polling stations went up by 15 per cent. The number of voters allocated to each station went down from an average of 2,400 to 2,150.
Said Associate Professor Tan: “With a larger voting population in Singapore, ELD has been increasing the number of polling districts with every GE. This will make voting more efficient, with fewer voters per polling district and voters not having to travel too far to cast their ballots.”
As at July 2024, there were 2,715,187 registered electors. This was up from 2,709,455 in the 2023 presidential election and 2,653,942 in the 2020 general election.
Space constraints in estates would also be taken into account, given considerations about crowd control, said independent political observer Felix Tan.
The ELD might want to ensure easy access and avoid long queues at the polling stations, he said.
He pointed out that some polling stations in Sengkang GRC saw queues late into the evening during GE2020, after voting hours were extended beyond 8pm.
Potential changes to boundaries
Do not read too much into polling district updates or use them to speculate on constituency boundary changes, observers said – these are simply part of administrative arrangements ahead of Polling Day.
However, they do give a preview of voter numbers in some constituencies, which is information the EBRC would rely on as it goes about its work, SMU’s Prof Tan said.
Institute of Policy Studies research fellow Teo Kay Key said redrawn boundaries would be expected in areas with significant changes in voter numbers, to ensure that the voter-to-MP ratio is not too skewed.
The five-member East Coast GRC, for example, is likely to see changes.
In its 2020 report, the EBRC said it was mindful that GRCs with fewer MPs should not have more voters than GRCs with more MPs.
Based on the July 2024 voter rolls, East Coast GRC has 121,916 voters. In comparison, the four-member Sengkang GRC, which had fewer voters in GE2020, now has 124,871 voters.
Dr Teo said that if the EBRC maintains this consideration this year, there would likely be boundary changes in these areas.
For instance, East Coast GRC may be expanded to include more voters – it is also one of the GRCs with the lowest voter-to-MP ratios – or Sengkang GRC might become a five-member GRC or have its boundaries redrawn, she said.
However, Prof Tan pointed out that based on the EBRC’s past practice, the opposition-held Sengkang GRC probably will not have its boundaries redrawn in any significant way, making changes to East Coast GRC more likely.
He added that the EBRC should be expected to complete its work shortly, as it has been about a month since the committee was formed. The report could be expected after the Budget season is over, in the middle to third week of March, said Prof Tan.
In the 2020 and 2015 general elections, updates to polling districts preceded the boundaries report by one to three days.
But in 2011 and 2006, the boundaries report was released over a month after the changes to polling districts. THE STRAITS TIMES
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