GE2025: Overseas votes largely mirror local voting patterns; total voter turnout at 92.83%

SINGAPORE - The 2025 General Election had a turnout of 92.83 per cent after the addition of overseas voters, with 2,438,610 of 2,627,026 registered voters in contested constituencies casting their ballots.

The ballots of more than 9,000 Singaporeans who voted overseas were counted on May 15, and the voting patterns were largely similar to how local citizens voted.

In a statement on May 15, the Elections Department (ELD) said there were 17,237 registered overseas voters in all contested electoral divisions.

Of these, 5,966 out of 8,091 registered overseas voters cast their ballots at 10 overseas polling stations. In addition, 7,808 out of 9,146 postal voters in all contested electoral divisions downloaded the postal ballots, of which 6,097 were received in Singapore by the deadline stipulated and 3,363 were accepted for counting.

Combined with local ballots, the overall number of rejected votes was 42,945.

The

results of the May 3 polls

were already decided before the overseas votes were counted, as the margins of victory for all 32 constituencies were greater than the total number of overseas registered voters for each constituency. Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC went uncontested

due to a walkover

.

Overseas voters had

cast their ballots at overseas polling stations

located at the Singapore Government’s high commissions, embassies or consulates in Beijing, Canberra, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington.

The overseas votes were counted at the ELD’s multi-purpose hall in Novena Rise, where several candidates from GE2025 showed up to witness the counting.

Overseas votes largely mirrored local votes, except Sembawang West SMC and Bukit Panjang SMC.

In Sembawang West, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan received 23 overseas valid votes, with 21 votes going to PAP’s Poh Li San. Ms Poh

had prevailed at the polls

with 53.18 per cent of the vote.

PAP’s Liang Eng Hwa and SDP’s Paul Tambyah received 36 overseas votes each for the contest in Bukit Panjang, which Mr Liang

won with 61.38 per cent of the vote

.

In Jalan Kayu SMC, PAP’s Ng Chee Meng received 33 overseas votes, with WP’s Andre Low getting 30 votes. Mr Ng, who is labour chief,

won the single seat with 51.47 per cent of the vote

.

In Tampines GRC, which the

PAP won with 52.02 per cent of the vote

, 166 overseas voters chose the ruling party, with 153 voting for the WP.

In Punggol GRC, which the PAP

won with 55.17 per cent

, 156 overseas voters chose the PAP and 126 opted for the WP.

Associate Professor Eugene Tan, a political analyst and law don at the Singapore Management University, said the overseas vote results were “broadly consistent” with those in past general elections.

“It reflects the trends in voting that overseas voters do not vote radically differently from local voters,” he added. “Ultimately, the overseas votes made no difference.”

The 2025 General Election saw the

lowest voter turnout by percentage since 1968

. On Polling Day, 92.47 per cent of registered voters cast their ballots in Singapore.

Political observers said the likeliest explanation for the lower turnout was that Singaporeans had already made travel plans before the election was called, taking advantage of the May Day holiday that fell on a Thursday.