Singapore legislation

Section 36F

of Presidential Elections Act 1991

Section 36F

Regulations for voting in overseas polling stations and postal voting

Amended byAct 9 of 2023 wef 01/06/2023

(1)

Subject to section 81B, the Minister may make regulations modifying the application of any provision of this Act to —

(a)

the conduct of polls in overseas polling stations, including in particular —

(i)

the appointment of presiding officers for overseas polling stations;

(ii)

the procedure on closing of the poll; and

(iii)

the procedure for the safe despatch of the sealed ballot boxes containing the votes cast to the Returning Officer in Singapore; and

(b)

the counting (including recounting) of the votes cast at overseas polling stations and by the postal voting method, respectively.

(2)

Unless the contrary intention appears, the regulations made under subsection (1) on the conduct of polls in overseas polling stations extend to acts done or omitted to be done outside Singapore by —

(a)

any Assistant Returning Officer or presiding officer;

(b)

any polling agent or election agent; or

(c)

any citizen of Singapore (whether or not a voter or an elector),in relation to a poll conducted or to be conducted at an overseas polling station.

(3)

Subject to section 81B, the Minister may make regulations relating to the postal voting method for a contested election, including regulations for or in respect of the following matters:

(a)

the period for an overseas elector to make an application for postal voting papers and the form and manner of such application;

(b)

the period and manner for an overseas elector to access, download and print his or her postal ballot paper and return envelope from the prescribed website;

(c)

the appointment of any authorised representative of the Returning Officer for the purposes of receiving return envelopes containing postal ballot papers;

(d)

the procedure for the postal voting method, including any measures that are necessary to ensure the authenticity of any vote;

(e)

the measures to ensure the safe custody of any return envelope received by the Returning Officer in Singapore;

(f)

the form of any application for postal voting papers, a postal ballot paper or return envelope.

(4)

Regulations made under subsection (1) or (3) —

(a)

must not authorise any person to vote more than once at any election;

(b)

must provide for a record of every vote cast at a polling station but the vote record must not contain any means of identifying the person who cast the vote; and

(c)

must be consistent with the principles laid down in any provision of this Act that is modified by those regulations.

Amended byAct 9 of 2023 wef 01/06/2023