ELD: 6.5k overseas Singaporeans erroneously informed of successful voting registration

SINGAPORE: On 24 May, approximately 6,500 Singaporeans living overseas received an erroneous email from the Elections Department (ELD) informing them that they had successfully registered to vote from abroad.

According to Singapore’s state media The Straits Times, the email stated that the recipient’s application “to register as an overseas elector” had been approved.

An ELD spokesperson explained on Sunday (26 May), in response to queries from ST that these emails were sent due to a programming glitch.

The spokesperson clarified, “There was no data compromised, and all these overseas Singaporeans were informed on the same day to disregard the email.”

The spokesperson added that the error has since been rectified.

Singapore citizens living abroad can apply to register as overseas electors throughout the year.

On 20 May, the ELD announced that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had instructed the Registration Officer to revise the Registers of Electors, with a target completion date of 31 July.

This update is essential in preparation for potential electoral activities, with the next General Election required by November 2025.

Eligibility for inclusion in the updated registers requires Singaporean citizenship, a minimum age of 21, a local residential address registered on the National Registration Identity Card (NRIC), and eligibility under prevailing laws.

Overseas Singaporeans must have a registered local contact address for voting purposes.

Voting remains compulsory in Singapore, with consequences for non-compliance, including removal from the voter rolls. Those removed can request reinstatement to regain their voting eligibility.

ELD’s previous hiccups

Previous issues related to the voting process include an incident in 2020 where a glitch in the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s system prevented 101 overseas Singaporeans from voting in the general election.

In August 2023, residents of over 4,800 households in Tanjong Pagar received two poll cards ahead of the presidential election due to an error made by the appointed printer.

ELD stated that the printer, Toppan, mistakenly included test prints of poll cards along with the correct ones, affecting a total of 4,803 households and 9,822 voters in Tanjong Pagar GRC.

Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, Chan Chun Sing in a September 2023 Parliamentary session addressed the issue, attributing it to human error in which test print data inadvertently mixed with production print data during the actual poll card printing process for voters in Tanjong Pagar GRC.

Mr Chan also revealed that 1,093 Singaporeans did not receive their poll cards for PE 2023, despite participating in GE 2020. ELD’s investigation attributed this error to oversights in the electronic registration process introduced in the previous election.

Approximately 200 Singaporeans were left off the voter rolls despite having voted in GE2020, and long queues formed at several polling stations from 8 am due to technical issues with the electronic voter registration system.

Mr Chan assured that corrective measures have been taken, including the implementation of a new registration system for PE2023 that simplifies the voter registration process. Additionally, ELD will enhance its communication with voters who have been removed from the rolls, ensuring they are informed individually and through the SG Notify feature in Singpass.

Political analysts speculate that the upcoming General Election could be called as early as September, following Mr Wong’s recent inauguration as Singapore’s fourth Prime Minister.