Automatic recount if difference in votes is 2% or less; special voting hour for those serving stay-home notice

FOR the upcoming General Election on July 10, there will be an automatic recount if the difference in the number of votes between the top candidate and any other candidate is 2 per cent or less, according to the latest statement by the Elections Department on Wednesday.

This means that there is no need for candidates or counting agents to apply for a recount, unlike in previous elections.

The department also released details of special voting arrangements to ensure the health and safety of voters, in view of the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

A special voting hour between 7 and 8pm will be allocated on polling day for Singaporeans under the Covid-19 stay-home notice (SHN), those on medical certificate for acute respiratory infection and those with fever, according to the statement.

Voters belonging to these groups - about 360 voters altogether as at June 30 - can only leave home to go to the polling station to vote and nowhere else, said the department, as part of the special voting arrangements for the upcoming General Election.

They are advised against taking public transport, and should either walk or use their private vehicle. Those who require designated transport can book a taxi from the list of dedicated booking hotlines provided in their SHN, but voters will have to pay for the transport.

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In addition, persons under the SHN are required to call the SHN Helpline (6812 5555) before their departure, to inform the authorities of their intention to leave home to vote.

During the hour, there will be a smaller team of election officials manning the polling station. They will be exercising additional precautions such as donning full personal protective equipment and sanitising polling equipment and contact surfaces after every voter's use.

There will be no temperature screening since voters with fever are allowed to vote during the special voting hour.

Ordinary voters should avoid the special voting hour and keep to their recommended two-hour voting time-band, said the Elections Department. However, if they turn up to vote during 7 to 8pm, they will still be allowed to vote according to the law.

Covid-19 patients and voters who are on quarantine order for the virus - about 350 as at June 30 - will not be allowed to vote.

As for those on SHN at designated facilities, they will be allowed to vote at the designated facilities away from other voters. There are five special polling stations - four at Marina Bay Sands and one at Marriott South Beach. Additional ones will be published on July 7.

This time around, there are 2.65 million voters, including 6,570 overseas voters.

Hardcopy poll cards are being sent out in batches, with voters to receive them before polling day. Voters can also use the SingPass Mobile app to access their ePoll card and use it in lieu of the hardcopy poll cards to be presented at the polling station.

The pollcards will show the recommended voting time bands and their assigned polling station, with those 65 years and above allotted time bands from 8am to 12 noon. Voters can also check the queue situation at their assigned polling station on http://VoteQ.gowhere.gov.sg before setting off to vote.

This year, the number of polling stations was increased to 1,100 from 880 previously. The number of voters per polling station was also reduced from an average of 3,000 to 2,400, as part of measures to reduce potential crowding at polling stations.

Polls will close at 8pm sharp, following which the ballot boxes will be sealed, witnessed by the candidates or polling agents, if present. The ballot boxes will then be delivered to their respective counting centres for counting.

Similar to the previous election, a sample count of 100 will be done at the start of the counting process to get an early indication of the possible electoral outcome. This will be published on the Elections Department website while counting is still in progress. The department cautioned, however, that the election result could be different and that the public should wait for the Returning Officer's announcement for the election result.

Counting machines will also be employed this time around to quicken the counting process. The first round will be counted manually, while the second round will be using the machines. These machines will have to pass a pre-counting test by election officials to ascertain accuracy before the commencement of the count.

For Singaporeans abroad, there are 10 overseas polling stations in Beijing, Canberra, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington. They will proceed, subject to the approval of the overseas authorities and the prevailing Covid-19 situation in those cities. The overseas polling stations will implement similar safety measures as in Singapore, such as temperature checks and the wearing of masks. They will also implement a special voting hour of between 7 and 8pm on Polling Day.

In Singapore, voters will self-scan their NRIC for registration, but they will have to lower their mask briefly for election officials to verify their identity.

Aside from practicing safe distancing, they will also have to sanitise their hands and don disposable gloves to minimise risk of contaminating the self-inking "X" pen or ballot papers. Voters may also bring their own pen to mark their ballot papers. Voters are to mark an "X" within the demarcated area on their ballot paper, with marks made outside the area to be disregarded.

Cleaners will be deployed to clean common touchpoints within the polling area at least once every half hour.

For more of our Singapore GE2020 coverage, go to bt.sg/ge2020