Stricter rules for advertising, bigger area on ballot paper for GE

When the next general election is called, the Returning Officer will be able to direct individuals and social media firms to remove online election advertising that breaches election rules.

This could also mean disabling access to such ads to users in Singapore, as well as stopping any further transmission of the materials here.

The Returning Officer is a public officer appointed by the Prime Minister to oversee the impartial and smooth conduct of elections. 

As part of updates announced by the Elections Department (ELD) on May 31, there will also be a larger area demarcated on the ballot paper to mark a voter’s choice.

This follows feedback from the presidential election that some people were unsure if they had properly positioned the stamp within the area.

The updates will come into effect on June 14 with revisions made to the Subsidiary Legislation under the Parliamentary Elections Act, which was updated in 2023.

ELD said the changes are needed “to operationalise these amendments”, in order to be aligned with the requirements set out during the 2023 Presidential Election.

For starters, election advertising will now be required to display the full names of every person who played an “active role” in publishing or displaying the ad.

This comprises those who authorised it, those who approved the content, those who directed that it be published, and in the case of printed ads, the printer must be identified as well.

For paid ads, the full names of every person who paid for it must be displayed, along with indicators that the ad had been paid for, such as the words “sponsored by”.

Paid ads cover both monetary and non-monetary payments, as well as those that are made directly or through a third party.

“This ensures a level playing field by covering various forms of payment under campaign spending limits,” ELD said.

Singapore citizens who are neither candidates nor election agents and publish online election advertising in their personal capacity without any payment whatsoever will be exempted from this rule.

In the online space, ELD said that online election advertising being amplified, whether through boosting or sharing for instance, will face the same requirements as if publishing new online ads.

It said this is because amplifying such ads to increase their reach would have the same effect as publishing fresh content.

Meanwhile, for election advertising that is not done online, political parties will need to declare the particulars of all collaterals that bear political party or party-affiliated symbols to the Returning Officer, if they were on display before the Writ of Elections is issued.

This must be done within 12 hours of the Writ of Elections being issued.

The declarations will be made available online for the public to inspect during the same period.

Between the issuance of the Writ of Elections and the start of the campaign period, any new physical election ads that contain such symbols will not be allowed.

During campaigning, only candidates, election agents, and individuals who are authorised in writing by one of the first two groups will be able to publicly display such ads.

This can also only be done in specific areas outlined in the Subsidiary Legislation, ELD said.

Overseas voting

Unlike the presidential election in 2023, ballot papers cast at overseas polling stations and postal ballot papers will now be sorted by electoral division, rather than being consolidated, due to the upcoming election being a general election.

Instead of one counting agent for every 5,000 overseas voters, or a minimum of three counting agents per candidate like in the presidential election, the maximum number of counting agents will now be raised to five per political party or independent candidate.

This is to take into account the larger number of candidates in a general election, ELD added.

The nomination paper will also feature a new section for candidates to provide their names to be printed on the ballot paper, and there will be a new form for them to declare after the election as well.

In the form, candidates will have to declare that no foreigners were authorised by them or their election agents to conduct any election activity, and that their election activities were not done under foreign influence.

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore director-general Han Kok Juan took over as Returning Officer on April 1.

Singapore’s general election is due to be called by November 2025.