Postal voting for overseas Singaporeans among electoral changes in new amendment Bills

SINGAPOREANS living overseas will be able to vote by post in future elections, if proposed changes to two sets of electoral laws are passed. Tabled in Parliament on Monday (Feb 6), the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Bill and the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill include changes to voting arrangements, election advertising and expenses, and the election process.

Postal votes by overseas Singaporeans will be accepted only if the postal ballot papers are postmarked before Polling Day and reach the returning officer within 10 days after Polling Day.

Plans for postal voting were announced last May by the Elections Department (ELD), which said then that it planned to roll this out in time for the next presidential election, due by this September.

For parliamentary elections only, another amendment will provide more time to meet the residency criterion for overseas voting. Currently, applicants must have lived in Singapore for a total of 30 days over the last three years before the “prescribed date”, now set as Mar 1 in any year. This will be changed to three years before the application date, with the deadline to register being two days after the writ of election is issued.

Instead of needing to re-register, overseas voters will also be able to retain their voting status unless they cancel their registration or have their names removed for failing to vote in the last election.

Separately, to make voting more convenient for nursing home residents, the amendments will allow for special polling stations in nursing homes or mobile polling teams to let residents vote by their bedsides.

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For election advertising, one proposed change is that any amplification of existing online election advertising – by boosting, sharing, resharing or reposting – will be subject to the same requirements as publishing a new election advertisement.

Another change clarifies that any paid election advertising will cover both direct and indirect payments – such as those done through an intermediary – as well as both monetary and non-monetary payments. “This ensures a level playing field by covering various forms of payment under campaign spending limits,” said ELD.

Election advertising, both paid and unpaid, will have to display the full names of those involved in publication, including those who directed it to be published or paid for it. There is an exemption for Singaporeans who are neither candidates or election agents, and who published the advertisement in their personal capacity without being paid or directed to do so.

If online election advertisements breach these “published-by” requirements, the content publisher may be directed to remove, deny or reduce access of the advertisement to Singapore end-users.

Under proposed enhancements to the election expenses regime, candidates and election agents will be able to make technical corrections to election expenses by submitting fresh returns, instead of having to apply to the election judge. Election expenses returns will also be made available for online inspection on the ELD website.

Among amendments to strengthen election processes, the current prohibition on taking part in election activities for primary and secondary school students will be changed to an age-based restriction for those aged 16 and below.

The Bills will make clear that foreign entities – such as foreign companies or organisations – are not allowed to participate in election activity. Current laws prohibit foreign individuals from doing so, but make no mention of foreign entities.

The amendments also empower the minister to make regulations for contingency arrangements in the case of disruptive events – such as natural disasters or health hazards – so that elections can still be conducted in a safe, orderly, efficient and timely manner.

And they will allow for polling stations to be set up in adjacent electoral divisions, to make it more convenient for voters who stay near an electoral boundary.

To streamline the procedures of the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC), it will no longer need to consider applications from those under 45 years old – who would not qualify as president under the Constitution – nor, in the case of reserved elections, those who fail to submit a relevant community declaration.