The Elections Department (ELD) announced that the updates and enhancements to the electoral processes will take effect on June 14, 2024.
In a press release on May 31, the Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 (PEA) was amended in 2023, and to operationalise these amendments, the Subsidiary Legislation (SL) under the PEA had also been revised.
The updates and enhancements include requirements for election advertising for both online and non-online election advertising, as well as processes for overseas voting and other electoral processes.
Advertising
The requirements in the Subsidiary Legislation for election advertising have been updated to enhance the following:
- Transparency so voters know who is communicating the election advertising.
- Accountability by persons publishing or displaying election advertising responsible for their communications.
During the election period, which starts when the Writ of Election is issued and ends with the close of polling on Polling Day, all elections will be required to comply with the published requirements.
The full names of all those who actively published or publicly displayed the election advertising must be clearly displayed.
In the case of paid election advertising, words like "sponsored by" or "paid for by" and the full names of those who paid for the election advertising must also be displayed clearly.
The updated requirements also clarify that all paid election advertising will cover payments that are direct and indirect as well as monetary and non-monetary. This ensures a level playing field by covering various forms of payment under campaign spending limits.
Returning Officer given new powers regarding online election advertising
ELD shared that the Returning Officer (RO) has been given powers to direct any content publishers, including individuals and social media companies, to take reasonable steps about online election advertising breaches.
Such steps include ensuring the removal of the online election advertising, disabling access to the online election advertising by Singapore end-users and stopping further communication of the online election advertising to Singapore end-users.
For traditional election advertising, political parties must declare to the RO, within 12 hours of the Issuance of the Writ of Election, the particulars of all traditional election advertising bearing political party or party-affiliated symbols that were on display before the issuance of the Writ.
The declarations would then be made available online for public inspection within the same period.
The public display of new traditional election advertising containing political party or party-affiliated symbols between the issuance of the Writ and before the campaign period will not be allowed.
During the campaign period, traditional election advertising can only be publicly displayed by candidates, election agents or authorised third parties at the permissible locations specified in the Subsidiary Legislation.
Candidates will also be required to bear the expenses when the RO removes or stops publicly displaying the advertising, and the cost must be included in their election expenses.
Overseas voting
For overseas voting, the ballot papers cast at overseas polling stations and postal ballot papers will be sorted by electoral division for counting in a General Election.
This differs from a Presidential Election, where the ballot papers are consolidated nationally for counting.
In addition, a maximum of five counting agents per political party, independent candidate, or group of independent candidates will be allowed to be present at the counting centre to observe the counting of overseas votes.
This takes into account the large number of candidates in a General Election.
Other enhancements
Other improvements have been made to the forms to align with the changes made to the forms for the PE2023, like a new section in the Nomination Paper for candidates to provide their names to be printed on the ballot paper.
In addition, there will be a new form for candidates to declare after an election that no foreigner has been authorised by the candidates or their election agents to conduct any election activity.
Candidates will also have to declare the conduct of their election activities was not undertaken or authorised by the candidates or election agents under the influence of a foreign principal.
For voters, the area demarcated on the ballot paper for voters to mark their choice has been enlarged so that the X-stamp can be placed within the square for voters to stamp on.
X-stamp from PE2023.
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