Polls open for 12 hours as Singapore elects its next president
After nine days of intense campaigning, Singaporeans headed to the polls on September 1, 2023, to elect the country’s next president. A total of 2.71 million eligible citizens, including 3,432 overseas voters, were registered to cast their votes at 1,264 polling stations across the island. The election marked the first time in 12 years that Singaporeans voted to elect their head of state, with three candidates—Ng Kok Song, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Tan Kin Lian—on the ballot.
For the first time, overseas voters had the option to vote by mail, with an additional 10 overseas polling stations set up in cities such as London, New York, and Tokyo. Another new initiative was the pilot program for voting in 31 nursing homes, catering to elderly residents with mobility issues.
Polls were open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, with voters required to bring their physical or electronic poll card, along with their NRIC or passport. While the official election results were expected to be announced around midnight, the Elections Department (ELD) introduced the sample count system. The sample count provided an early estimate of the election outcome, with results expected to be released between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm.
This practice, first introduced in the 2015 General Election, is intended to provide voters with early insight and minimize misinformation. The sample count is carried out by randomly selecting 100 ballot papers from polling stations, and the results are weighted based on the number of voters at each station. While the sample count is a reliable predictor, the official results are still awaited, and recounts may occur if the margin between the candidates is too narrow.
The final result will be announced by the Returning Officer, with Singapore’s ninth president officially declared once the votes are counted and verified.
