THE BIG DAY• At dawn today, ballot papers and cardboard ballot boxes are transported to the 832 polling centres under police guard. • At 7.50am, election of�cials will show the unsealed ballot boxes to candidates and polling agents (if present), to prove the boxes are empty.• The ballot boxes will then be sealed before the polls start at 8am.

POLLING PROCESS• Voting is open from 8am to 8pm. Voters have to show their identity card/passport and poll card to get a ballot paper. After marking the slip in a polling booth, they drop it into a ballot box.• After polls close, the slits on the boxes will be sealed by election of�cials in front of polling agents and candidates (if present), who may also af�x their own seals.• The boxes are escorted by the police to 163 counting centres islandwide. Candidates and polling agents may observe this process.

VOTE COUNTING• Each counting centre has around 25 of�cials counting votes from about �ve polling stations, observed by candidates and their appointed counting agents.• A sample count is taken before the full count.• Ballots are deemed spoilt if defaced, or if it is unclear which party the voter has selected.• The results from each centre are faxed to respective principal counting centres for consolidation.• Once the tally is con�rmed as correct, the candidate or his counting agent at the principal counting centre is informed of the results.

ANNOUNCING RESULTS• At the Elections Department, the Returning Of�cer will announce results for each contested constituency as they come in. • These will be broadcast “live” on local television.

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HOW A SAMPLE COUNT IS DONEA sample count is performed at the start of the counting process to get an early indication of the possible electoral outcome for an electoral division.

Total of 832 polling stations islandwide.

After polling ends at 8pm, ballot boxes are sealed and moved to 163 counting centres.

Sample counting is done in front of candidates and their counting agents. Con�dence level: 95% ± 4%.

Source: ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT SINGAPORE TEXT: WALTER SIM GRAPHICS: CHNG CHOON HIONG

What happens to your voting slips

AFTER THE DUST SETTLESAfter the count, the ballot papers will be put into depository boxes, which are sealed and taken to the Supreme Court.

VAULT STORAGE• At the Supreme Court, the depository boxes will be stored in a vault for six months.• Only a High Court judge can order the boxes to be opened in the event of any election petition.• No such court order has been given since elections began here in 1948.

TO THE BURNERIf there are no complaints within six months, the depository boxes will be transported under police escort to Tuas, where they will be incinerated.

Ballot boxes

Ballot papers

Sealed ballot boxes

Depository boxes

ReturningOfficer

For each polling station, random stack of 100 ballot papers to be chosen.

1 Number of votes for each party/candidate counted and added up. Weightage given to account for difference in number of votes cast at each station.

2

Sample count results for the GRC/SMC shown as percentage of valid votes won.

3 Votes will be recorded by the Assistant Returning Of�cer and shared with candidates and their agents.

4

The election result could be different. The public should wait for the Returning Of�cer’s announcement to know the election result.

6

Results will be released to media and published on the Elections Department website.

5

AssistantReturningOfficer

Candidate BAgent

Candidate AAgent

ReturningOfficer

Results

7

100votes

100votes

100votes

6

BEFORE 8AM 8AM TO 8PM 8PM ONWARDS

IF RESULT IS VERY CLOSE• If a candidate or party wins by a margin of 2 per cent or less, the opponent can ask for a recount.• If the difference is smaller than the number of overseas voters for that constituency, the result will have to await the counting of those votes next week.• If there is a tie, the winner is decided by drawing of lots.

MARCH 20168

The Straits Times looks at the process from ballot box to burner

SEPT 2015 TO MARCH 2016