GE2025: What should I know before voting? (2025)

Follow our live coverage here.

SINGAPORE – Close to 2.75 million voters will head to the ballot box on May 3.

This marks an increase of 104,153 voters since the electoral rolls were last updated in April 2020 and includes those voting for the first time.

In the lead-up to the polls, The Straits Times has put together a series of related explainers and listicles.

Here is a guide to help navigate the voting process:

Who can vote, and is it compulsory?

Any Singapore citizen whose name appears in the Registers of Electors and is 21 or older as at the cut-off date – Feb 1, 2025 – can vote in the upcoming election.

Those who turn 21 after Feb 1 but before Polling Day will have to wait until the next election to cast their vote.

Voting is compulsory in Singapore. Those who fail to vote without a valid reason will be removed from the registers.

How do I check if I can vote?

There are four ways to check if your name is in the Registers of Electors:

• Online at the Elections Department (ELD) website using Singpass;
• In person at the ELD at 11 Novena Rise, with your identity card or passport;
• In person at any ServiceSG centre, community centre or community club, with your identity card or passport;
• At Singapore overseas missions serving as overseas registration centres, with your identity card or passport.

What happens if my name is not in the Registers of Electors?

Since the Writ of Election has been issued, those whose names are not in the registers will not be able to vote in this general election. This applies to both local and overseas voters.

Voters who were eligible but did not vote in the last election would have been removed from the registers.

This makes them unable to vote in subsequent elections or stand as candidates in any presidential or parliamentary election, unless they restore their names by submitting an application on the ELD website.

Restoring your name can be done only before the Writ of Election is issued. Applications made must include valid reasons for not voting in the previous election, such as being overseas or unwell. A $50 fee applies if no valid reason is provided.

Those who have missed the deadline will have to wait for the registers to reopen after this election.

Where do I vote on Polling Day?

Voters should have received a poll card in the mail two to three days after Nomination Day on April 23. It will indicate their assigned polling station, and they may vote only at that station.

Voters can also access their ePoll card via the Singpass mobile app, which can be used in place of the physical copy.

As the current Registers of Electors are based on voters’ addresses as at Feb 1, those who change their address after that date will be assigned a polling station based on their previous address. The new address will be reflected only after the next register update.

What do I need to have with me on Polling Day?

Voters must have:

• Their physical or digital NRIC, passport or identity card issued by the Ministry of Defence, Singapore Police Force or Singapore Civil Defence Force;
• Their poll card or ePoll card.

Photocopies of identification documents are not allowed.

What happens if I am working on Polling Day?

Polling Day is a public holiday, and voting hours are from 8am to 8pm. Voters can cast their vote at any time during this period.

Employers are required by law to give employees reasonable time off to vote. Employees who are required to work, and whose work hours coincide with polling hours, should request time off.

What if I am living overseas?

The deadline for overseas Singaporeans to register to vote was April 17 – three days after the Writ of Election was issued. Registration has closed.

Those successful in their applications will receive an official notification from ELD confirming their status as a postal voter or informing them of the location of their assigned overseas polling station if they have opted to vote in person at one of the overseas polling stations.

Overseas polling stations are located at 10 Singapore high commissions, embassies or consulates in cities with a significant number of Singaporeans. These stations are in Beijing, Canberra, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington.

What help is there for senior voters, voters with special needs, or voters with physical disabilities?

Polling stations will have:

• Designated vehicle drop-off points;
• Wheelchairs;
• Barrier-free access;
• Lower polling booths and lap-based portable booths for wheelchair users;
• Stencils and magnifiers for those with visual impairments;
• Funnels for ease of dropping ballot papers into the ballot box.

Election officials will be around to assist, and a priority queue is available for these voters.

For those with physical disabilities, election officials can assist in marking the ballot paper upon request. All election officials are under oath to maintain voting secrecy.

Each person may cast only one vote.

How do I track the queue at my polling station?

VoteQ, a website activated on Polling Day, allows voters to check the queue status at their designated polling station by keying in their postal code.

The site will be updated approximately every five minutes during peak polling hours in the morning and every 10 minutes during the off-peak period in the afternoon.

JoinST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.