Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

PE 2023: 6,649 overseas Singaporeans registered to vote, over half opt for postal voting for the first time

SINGAPORE — Some 6,649 Singaporeans who are living overseas have registered to vote for the upcoming Presidential Election, with more than half, or 3,432, opting to vote through post — the first time this is being allowed here.

Ballot boxes consists of overseas votes taken out of the luggage at ELD Training Centre Polling Station on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

Ballot boxes consists of overseas votes taken out of the luggage at ELD Training Centre Polling Station on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp
  • 6,649 Singaporeans living overseas have registered to vote in the Presidential Election
  • 3,432 have opted to vote through post while 3,217 will be voting in person at 10 overseas polling stations
  • This is the first time that overseas voters will be allowed to vote through post since a change in law in early March
  • Postal overseas voters are encouraged to mail their return envelope early to be accepted for counting
  • Registered overseas Singaporeans returning to the country on Polling Day will also be allowed to vote at local polling stations

SINGAPORE — Some 6,649 Singaporeans who are living overseas have registered to vote for the upcoming Presidential Election, with more than half, or 3,432, opting to vote through post — the first time this is being allowed here.

The rest of the overseas voters, some 3,217 of them, have opted to vote in person at overseas polling stations.

The number of voters based overseas who have registered to vote also increased slightly compared to the 6,570 who registered to vote during the General Election in 2020.

The option of voting by post comes after Parliament passed laws earlier in March to enhance voting accessibility for Singaporeans overseas. 

Before the change, overseas voters had to physically travel to polling stations in their specified locations which made it difficult for some Singaporeans to vote, especially during the Covid-19 travel restrictions in 2020.

The Elections Department Singapore (ELD) said on Wednesday (Aug 23) that overseas voters will be allowed to vote through post with the postal ballot paper and return envelope which can be downloaded, using SingPass, from the Electoral Department’s voter services online portal.

Postal voters are encouraged to mail their return envelope early with the marked ballot paper that must be postmarked before Polling Day on Sept 1, 2023, and reach the Returning Officer in Singapore by Sept 11 to be accepted for counting.

Overseas polling stations will be available in 10 locations abroad: Beijing, Canberra, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Washington D.C.

Singaporeans who have registered to vote at these polling stations would have been sent their ePoll letter indicating the specific polling date and time for their overseas polling station.

In the event that an overseas voter, who opted to vote through post or the overseas polling station, returns to Singapore on Polling Day, they will also be able to vote at their assigned polling station in Singapore.

The details would be available in the poll card which will be sent to their registered Singapore address or local contact address, as well as on the voter's ePoll card that can be found on the Singpass app.

Every overseas voter is allowed to vote only once during the Presidential Election, either overseas or at the assigned polling station in Singapore.

To prevent an overseas voter from double voting, the voter will be required to declare at the polling station in Singapore that they have not already voted in the same election before they are issued a ballot paper to vote.

Related topics

Presidential Election 2023 postal voting

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the top features, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.