voting Singapore inherited the ‘simple plurality’ system, known popularly as the ‘first past the post’ system. The candidate securing the greatest number of votes is declared elected. This system was introduced by the British and continues to be used extensively throughout the Commonwealth.

Singapore’s Elections Department is part of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and reports to the PMO’s permanent secretary. The Elections Department is responsible for the conduct of elections, including the maintenance of the electoral registers. It is not, however, directly responsible for determining electoral boundaries.

Any citizen of Singapore, who is over the age of 21 and who is ordinarily resident in Singapore, is entitled to have his name entered or retained in a Register of Electors. A register is prepared for each constituency. Once the registers have been prepared, they are exhibited for people to submit claims or raise objections. The registers are then certified and will be used for the election until a new one is prepared. Voters may check their standing on the electoral register through the Internet.

A voter may be disqualified if he: owes his allegiance to another state or foreign power; is serving a jail sentence ‘for an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term exceeding 12 months’; is under ‘sentence of death’; is of unsound mind; is serving in ‘any naval, military or air force not maintained out of moneys provided by Parliament’; or is registered as a voter in any other country.

Voting is compulsory in Singapore and each person is entitled to only one vote, which must be exercised in the electoral division for which he has been registered. Secret ballots are used in the electoral process. After the ballots are counted, the results are published in the Government Gazette. Singapore citizens who are living overseas may be entitled to vote if they meet certain criteria.