SOME 150,000 Singaporeans abroad could potentially be eligible to vote in the next General Election, under changes to the law passed on Monday.

They only need to come home for some 10 days a year, or 30 days in the three years before the election. In the past, they had to live here for a total of two of the five years before the polls.

The changes mean that at the next General Election, overseas polling stations are likely to receive many more overseas voters than in the 2006 elections.

In the last election, over 2.1 million citizens were eligible to vote.

The amendments to the Parliamentary Elections Act also give overseas voters more time to register online, which was not allowed before.

Making the case for these changes, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said it was important that citizens abroad 'remain engaged in our domestic affairs and not lose the connection with their homeland.'

When overseas voting was first allowed in the 2006 General Election, 1,017 persons registered - and 335 of the 553 whose constituencies were contested voted at eight polling stations abroad.

With the experience gained, the Government is taking bolder steps to enable more overses Singaporeans to vote, said Mr Wong.

Among them: Singaporeans whose names are in another country's electoral registers will no longer be disqualified from voting. Britain, he noted, included residents from Commonwealth countries like Singapore in their electoral registers.

But the bar on voting stays for those who choose to vote in a foreign election, or who apply for foreign citizenship.

Those eligible to vote can also register any time before the writ of election is issued. Previously, they had to send their applications by hand or registered mail within a 21-day period.

Overseas voters can also deregister or change their assigned polling station at any time, via the Internet.

Those who flout the law, such as making a false declaration, face a fine of up to $1,000 or up to three years in jail, or both.

The changes also allow more places to be used as polling stations, including the official residences of senior diplomats.

There is also no limit to how long overseas polling stations can stay open, so long as they close no later than when polls close in Singapore. Previously, they could only stay open for up to 12 hours.