Voters experience delays as technical issues impact early morning turnout
The 2023 Presidential Election in Singapore experienced a rocky start on the morning of September 1, with long queues forming at several polling stations due to a system glitch. Some polling stations faced technical issues with the e-registration system, which delayed the voting process. At Henry Park Primary School, many voters had to wait nearly an hour, as officials resorted to manual checks of identification documents and poll cards until the issue was resolved.
By 9:55 am, the Elections Department (ELD) reported that the technical difficulties were being progressively fixed, and queues had significantly improved across most polling stations. Despite the morning delay, the ELD encouraged voters to visit their designated polling stations throughout the day, as the polls remained open until 8 pm.
The glitch was resolved by the afternoon, and long lines had largely disappeared, with voters casting their ballots in a matter of minutes. By 3 pm, 74% of eligible voters had already cast their votes, and by the evening, the total voter turnout reached 93.4%, with over 2.5 million Singaporeans participating in the election.
Throughout the day, notable figures, including presidential candidates Ng Kok Song, Tan Kin Lian, and Tharman Shanmugaratnam, along with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and outgoing President Halimah Yacob, visited polling stations to cast their votes. Voters were encouraged by the ELD to head to polling stations later in the day when queues were expected to be shorter.
Despite the early technical setbacks, the election proceeded smoothly as the day progressed, with most voters having completed their voting duties without further disruptions.
