Bill will let more voters cast ballot, says Chan Chun Sing

Six MPs spoke during the debate on the Parliamentary Elections (Covid-19 Special Arrangements) Bill passed yesterday. Here are some of their questions and the replies by Minister Chan Chun Sing.

That is a misconception, said Mr Chan. Responding to Nominated MP Anthea Ong, he said the special arrangements in the Bill will in fact allow more voters to vote. For instance, those serving stay-home notices (SHN) at designated facilities will be able to vote in a way that will minimise their contact with other voters.

Mr Chan said this "should allay concerns among the wider voting population who might otherwise be dissuaded from voting, because of in-person voting by those under SHN".

In response to Ms Ong's assertion that the roughly 15,000 people on quarantine orders here give a sense of the numbers who will be prevented from voting, Mr Chan said there were fewer than 1,000 Singaporeans of voting age on quarantine orders as of Sunday.

Singapore has not implemented online voting as it is difficult to prevent impersonation and ensure voting secrecy. Responding to Mr Ong Teng Koon (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) and NMP Walter Theseira, Mr Chan said: "Even with SingPass, we do not know for sure if the vote is cast by the person himself, or by another person who is assisting him."

Furthermore for audit purposes, identity verification systems would have to retain information on a voter's choice, thus compromising the secrecy of the ballot. Mr Chan added that there are system reliability issues and security risks, such as vulnerability to hacking and cyber attacks. It is also not possible to have polling agents present for online voting.

Overseas voting may be abandoned in locations where there are unacceptable risks to the safety and health of Singaporean voters and election officials there, and if the physical conduct of polling is not possible.

Responding to NMP Ong and Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), Mr Chan said: "We want Singaporeans who have registered to vote overseas to be able to do so. But we must also recognise that the Covid-19 situation has affected many cities around the world to different extents, and we do not know how it will evolve."

He said the returning officer will assess and monitor the situation for each overseas polling station after the writ of election is issued, before making any decision.

The Elections Department (ELD) will share the guidelines in due course, taking into account the Covid-19 situation, said Mr Chan. ELD issues the advisory together with the relevant authorities, such as the police and the Ministry of Home Affairs, and will also work with the Ministry of Health on health and safety aspects.

"This will be done with sufficient time for political parties and aspiring candidates to prepare," said Mr Chan.

He explained that for activities conducted in the polling station, which is a structured environment, the authorities try to be as clear and let people know what's okay as early as possible. But things like campaigning, conducted in a less structured environment, are subject to evolving health and security considerations.

The Bill is not related to the timing of the next general election, said Mr Chan. Responding to Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC), Mr Ong and Ms Ong, he said the Bill allows ELD to make contingency plans whenever the election is held.

"It will be for the Prime Minister to consider what is in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans, and make the decision on when to call the next general election," he said.

While it is uncertain when the Covid-19 situation will stabilise, South Korea has shown that holding an election during the pandemic is possible, Mr Chan added.

There have to be adequate measures in place to safeguard the well-being of voters, candidates and officials, and it would be "prudent and responsible" to start planning ahead of time, he said.