It's election season in Singapore and the biggest question everyone has is: "Which party would you vote for?"
However, you won't be able to find the results of election surveys (asking people who they will vote for) or exit polls on Polling Day published here in Singapore.
That's because it is against the law — specifically the Parliamentary Elections Act — to publish these results during the election period.
This covers the day that the Writ of Election is issued all the way until Polling Day.
No election survey results
Under Section 78C of the Parliamentary Elections Act,
"No person shall publish or permit or cause to be published the results of any election survey during the period beginning with the day the writ of election is issued for an election and ending with the close of all polling stations on polling day at the election."
"Election survey" specifically means an opinion survey of how electors will vote at an election or of the preferences of electors regarding candidates, political parties or issues which are associated with election candidates.
Those who contravene the law face a fine of up to S$1,500 and/or a jail term of up to 12 months.
Ban on exit polls
The Parliamentary Elections Act also specifically bans exit polls (opinion polls of people leaving a polling station, asking how they voted) before the close of polling stations on Polling Day.
Under Section 78D, it says:
"No person shall publish or permit or cause to be published on polling day before the close of all polling stations on polling day —
(a) any statement relating to the way in which voters have voted at the election where that statement is (or might reasonably be taken to be) based on information given by voters after they have voted; or
(b) any forecast as to the result of the election which is (or might reasonably be taken to be) based on information so given."
The punishment for doing so? A fine of up to S$1,500 and/or an imprisonment term of up to 12 months.
Survey resulted in "stern warning" from police
Back in 2016, the now-defunct sociopolitical site The Middle Ground (TMG) was given a "stern warning" by the police after it published an article which apparently contravened the Parliamentary Elections Act.
The article contained the results of a survey that asked 50 Bukit Batok residents, among other things, who they would vote for in the upcoming Bukit Batok by-election.
TMG later took down the article and clarified that it was not meant to be an election survey.
Top image via Quora.