36A. Polling places and polling stations

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Amended

Last amended by an amending law of 2023.

(1)

The Returning Officer must, for the purposes of the poll in any electoral division —

(a)

establish for the electoral division as many ordinary polling stations as are necessary for the poll —

(i)

within each polling district of the electoral division; and

(ii)

in a polling district of another electoral division which has a common boundary with the firstmentioned electoral division, but only if the Returning Officer is satisfied that doing so is conducive to the voting convenience of a large number of electors of the electoral division who reside near that common boundary;

(b)

provide as many polling places within each ordinary polling station as the Returning Officer considers necessary; and

(c)

allot the electors registered for the electoral division (including overseas electors) to the ordinary polling stations in such manner as the Returning Officer thinks convenient.

(1A)

A single ordinary polling station in a polling district of an electoral division may be established for the conduct of a poll in another electoral division only if the polling district has a common boundary with a polling district of the other electoral division.

(2)

The Returning Officer may, for the purposes of the poll at any election, approve the use of such of the following premises outside Singapore that are within —

(a)

an embassy, a High Commission, a diplomatic mission, a permanent mission or a consulate of Singapore in a country or territory outside Singapore; or

(b)

the official residence of any person who is appointed to hold or act in any of the following offices in a country or territory outside Singapore:

(i)

an ambassador, a High Commissioner, a Consulate‑General or the head of a diplomatic mission or consulate;

(ii)

the Permanent Representative;

(iii)

such other senior diplomatic or consular office as the Minister may prescribe for the purposes of the definition of an “overseas polling station” in section 2(1),as the Returning Officer thinks practicable or suitable as an overseas polling station for overseas electors to cast their votes thereat.

(3)

A polling station comprises such premises or such area within any premises as are demarcated by or under the authority of the Returning Officer to be a polling station.

(4)

Where an ordinary polling station or a special polling station is located in any grounds, the Returning Officer —

(a)

may designate —

(i)

an entrance to those grounds as a designated entrance to the polling station; and

(ii)

the routes that electors have to use to access the polling places within the polling station and the polling booths or other facilities for voting in accordance with this Act, including paths, hallways and doorways; and

(b)

if a designation under paragraph (a)(i) is made, must indicate or cause to be indicated by a presiding officer the designated entrance to those grounds by displaying an official sign at that entrance.