What You Need to Know: Ballot Paper Serial Numbers; Vote Secrecy and Integrity

Q1) What happens to my ballot paper after the polls close and how is it secret if it has a serial number?

When an election is held in Singapore, the Elections Department follows the procedures laid out by law to ensure the integrity of the election. There is a rigorous process to ensure the secrecy and integrity of your vote.

After polls close at 8 p.m.

After the polls have closed, election officials at the polling station seal the ballot boxes containing the ballot papers which have been cast.  Candidates and their polling agents who are present witness the process and may also place their own seals on the ballot boxes.  The sealed ballot boxes carried by the election officials are then transported under Police escort to the counting centre.  A police officer is on board the bus used and stands guard over the ballot boxes throughout the journey. 

Counting of votes 

At the counting centre, before the ballot boxes are opened, candidates and their counting agents who are present may inspect the ballot boxes again to ascertain that all the boxes are accounted for, and that no others are present; and that the seals of all the ballot boxes are intact and have not been tampered with.  The seals are then broken and ballot boxes are opened, and the ballot papers therein are poured out, sorted and counted in their presence.  The emptied ballot boxes are also ascertained in the presence of all to be empty.

After announcement of election results 

After the election result has been announced by the Returning Officer, the ballot papers and other official documents used in the election are placed into separate boxes and sealed, witnessed by candidates and their counting agents who are present, who may also place their own seals on these boxes. These boxes are stored in the vault at the Supreme Court for 6 months and then subsequently destroyed.

Voting secrecy is thus ensured as there is no break in the chain of custody of ballot papers from the polling station to the counting centre, and from the counting centre to the Supreme Court. 

The ballot paper serial number

The serial number on the ballot paper allows for the accounting of all ballot papers issued and cast, and guards against counterfeiting and voter impersonation.

When the ballot paper is issued, the voter serial number is written on the ballot paper counterfoil to facilitate the detection of illegally cast votes if necessary. This is allowed only if there is an order from the Court arising from an election petition. Such an order will only be given if the Court is satisfied that votes have been fraudulently cast or there are counterfeit ballot papers, which affect the result of the election.

Q2) True or false? If ballot papers are lost or destroyed before they are counted, no action will be taken.

There are processes spelt out in the law to maintain integrity of election processes if ballot papers are lost or destroyed before they are counted.

What happens if ballot papers are lost or destroyed before they are counted?

Fresh polls will be conducted if the number of votes affected might affect the election results. All voters assigned to the affected polling station will have to re-cast their votes.

How do we know whether the affected votes might affect the election results?

This is when the sum of the total number of affected voters and the total number of overseas voters from the affected electoral division is equal or more than the difference between the votes already counted for the top two candidates.

Has a ballot box ever been lost or destroyed?

There was no instance at past several elections of lost or destroyed ballot boxes prior to them being counted.  Consequently, there was no instance of re-polling as a result of the loss or destruction of ballot boxes.

Q3) Is the ink from the X-stamp used to mark my vote permanent?

Yes, the ink used in X-stamp is permanent and cannot be erased. 

Source: Elections Department website