How to Vote on Polling Day : Elections Department Press Release, 1 Nov 2001

Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts,

MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 837-9666

POLLING DAY

POLL CARDS

Every household in a contested constituency should have received a poll card. The poll card indicates the polling station and the polling place (counter or room) you should go to. Poll cards come in a sheet of four, each carrying the particulars of an eligible voter in the household. Simply cut along the dotted lines to divide it into individual poll cards. Each voter should bring along his personal poll card to the polling station.

Households that have less than four members would have some sections of the sheet blank. Households that have more than five members would receive more than one sheet.

If you are a voter but have not received or have misplaced your poll card, you can find out where you should go to vote by checking the Elections Department website at www.elections.gov.sg, calling the community centre hotline at 838 1266 or enquiring at a nearby community centre. Please note down your polling station location, polling place number and serial number and bring this along with you to your polling station on polling day.

HOW TO VOTE

Polling stations will be opened from 8 am to 8 pm this Saturday, 3 November 2001. From experience, those who vote during the peak hours of 8 am to 10 am tend to queue longer for their turn to vote. After 10 am to early evening, the queuing time has usually been shorter. Voters are also advised not to wait to the last moment to vote. The law prescribes that polling officials are not allowed to issue ballot papers at 8 pm sharp, regardless whether there is a queue waiting to vote.

Bring along your NRIC and your personal poll card to your polling station. Polling officials will be present to show you to your polling place. Please consult the polling officials if you require any assistance.

When you arrive at your polling place, polling official will verify your identity against your NRIC, read your name and particulars; another official will check off your name on their electoral roll. Then, you will be handed a ballot paper. As soon as you receive the ballot paper, go to the polling booth and mark your choice of candidate or group of candidates.

A Single Member Constituency’s ballot paper will list the name and party of every candidate contesting in that constituency. A Group Representation Constituency’s ballot paper will list the names and party of every group of candidates contesting in that constituency.

To indicate your choice, mark a cross in the empty box provided beside the name(s) of candidate(s) and the symbol of the political party he or they represent. An independent candidate will also have a symbol.

After indicating your choice on the ballot paper, fold the paper into half, with the marked surface facing inwards, step out of the polling booth and put your ballot paper into the ballot box.

Once you have put your ballot paper into the ballot box, kindly leave the polling station.

ELDERLY AND HANDICAPPED

Voters who are 65 years old and above on 31 August 2001 (indicated by the symbol ">>>" printed on their poll cards) and handicapped persons will be given priority to cast their votes.

Voting is SECRET. Voting is COMPULSORY.

ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT

1 NOVEMBER 2001