Singaporeans residing in Malaysia can come back to Singapore and vote in the 2020 General Election (GE) if they wish to, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said at a virtual press conference on Thursday evening, June 25.

Come back to vote if you want to

Fielding a question from the media about how Singaporeans residing in Malaysia could vote, considering there is no overseas polling station in Malaysia, Wong said for elections, the situation is "no different whether it's Malaysia or any other country".

He added, "I mean, so whether it's in Malaysia, whether you're in any other country, if you would like to vote, and you want to vote, then come back and vote."

He continued, "There's no reason why you can't come back and vote. You may have to be subject to Stay-Home Notice (SHN), but even under SHN, there can be arrangements made for you to vote."

Voters under Stay-Home Notice at designated boarding facilities

Voters serving their SHN at designated facilities may get to vote at a special polling station.

There are a number of measures outlined in the Act that allows a Returning Officer to establish the special polling station. The votes will be counted according to the specific electoral division that the voters belong to.

Singapore will go to the polls on July 10.

Overseas polling stations for Singaporeans abroad

According to the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, as there are no polling stations in Malaysia, Singaporeans there must return to Singapore to cast their votes if an election is called.

Singapore's designated overseas polling stations are New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Canberra and Dubai. 

Singaporeans arriving from Malaysia will have to serve SHN

Singapore citizens travelling to Singapore from Malaysia will have to serve a 14-day SHN at dedicated SHN facilities, and be tested for Covid-19 a few days before the end of the SHN period.

They will be required to bear a cost of up to S$200 for their Covid-19 swab tests.

But Singapore citizens arriving from Malaysia need not bear the cost of SHN at dedicated facilities.

Top image adapted via Mediacorp's video & Andrew Koay