PE2023: Voters can check polling station queue status with unique hyperlink, QR code; postal code will be auto-filled
Following GE2020, the Elections Department has introduced several key improvements to the voting arrangements.
Voters can now check the queue status at polling stations more conveniently in the upcoming Presidential Election through a VoteQ hyperlink or QR code, announced the Elections Department (ELD) on Monday (Jul 24).
This is part of several improvements made to voting arrangements after “drawing on the lessons from GE2020”.
On Polling Day, voters can access the VoteQ hyperlink on their ePoll card found on the Singpass app or through the ELD’s Voter Services website. Voters can also scan the QR code on their physical poll card, which will be mailed to them after Nomination Day should the elections be contested.
Upon accessing the website through the unique hyperlink on the ePoll card or the QR code on the physical poll card, the postal code field will be automatically filled. Voters will only need to click on the “go” button to retrieve the queue information.
To reduce the maximum number of voters allocated to each polling station, the ELD will increase the number of polling stations to 1,264. This is from 1,097 polling stations during GE2020. The number of voters allocated to each polling station is expected to reduce from an average of 2,400 to 2,150.
Additionally, the polling stations will be equipped with more registration and ballot paper counters to reduce waiting times.
READ: The duties of Singapore’s President
In GE2020, ELD introduced the X-pen – a stamp to help voters mark their choices on the ballot papers. It was observed by ELD that while most voters were able to use the X-pen, some had “misunderstood it to be a pen” and “tried to write a cross with it”.
To address this, ELD will introduce a new X-stamp at PE2023. The X-stamp is wider and “more clearly intended to serve as a stamp”.
Overseas Singaporeans will also be able to vote through the newly introduced postal voting. This is in addition to the 10 in-person polling stations in New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Canberra and Dubai.
To be eligible, overseas Singaporeans must meet the recently amended residency requirement of having resided in Singapore for an aggregate of at least 30 days in the three years preceding the date of registration.
For votes to be considered, the return envelopes containing the marked postal ballot papers must reach the custody of the Returning Officer in Singapore no later than 10 days after Polling Day.
On the day of counting of overseas votes, return envelopes that cannot be counted will first be sieved out. Some examples of such return envelopes include torn return envelopes or those with late postmarks.
After which, accepted return envelopes will be authenticated via a unique QR code. A Signature Scanning and Verification System will then be used to match the signature on the return envelope against what was submitted by the voter during registration.
Return envelopes that pass the pre-examination phase will then have the postal ballot papers retrieved for counting.
Registration for overseas voting can be done through ELD’s Voter Services, accessed with Singpass. It will close on the second day after the Writ of Election is issued.
Eligible overseas Singaporeans are encouraged to register early if they wish to vote overseas at PE2023.
