Are you 21 years old and above? Never voted before in your whole life?
Unsure of what is happening? Have too many questions in your head?
Same here, my friend.
Hopefully the information below will answer some of your questions.
Will There be Delays in Election Due to Covid-19?
The electoral boundaries report has been released yesterday (Friday the 13th), which has set off speculation on when the general election might take place.
Usually, once the report is out, parliament would be dissolved shortly and the election will kick off. Since GE 2001, the longest period between the report and the writ of election is merely 1 month 26 days, so you can bet that you’re heading to the polling stations very soon.
According to experts, there are two possible windows picked out this year; March to April and May to mid-June. Given the timing of the report, both windows are possible.
This means that the delay prompted by the Covid-19 outbreak is now unlikely to happen.
According to Dr Felix Tan, associate lecturer at SIM Global Education, there is a possibility that it would be in the May period. This is because the election is likely to go ahead in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Dr Tan noted that our Singapore Government would be more inclined to finish this election sooner so that it can focus on tackling the issue of the pandemic, which requires more attention given its severity around the world.
In addition, voters have already been expecting an election this year, so there is no point in delaying it.
Associate Professor Bilveer Singh, from the National University of Singapore’s political science department, also agreed that with the expectation that Covid-19 might last for a long period, there is no use for waiting till it’s over to call for the election.
After all, who knows when it’s going to be over?
So What are the Possible Dates for Polling Day?
There are three possible dates that are speculated this time round.
The first is Saturday, 18 April. As the April calendar has a number of significant religious festivals, the weekend of 18th would be the most suitable date for Polling Day.
This would avoid the need to have an election on Easter weekend (April 11-12) or during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which begins on April 23.
On the other hand, if an election were to take place during the month of Ramadan, observers suggest the first weekend of May as a possibility. With Labour Day, 1 May, falling on Friday, the election could be timed to have Cooling-Off Day on Saturday, 2 May, with Polling Day on 3 May.
The third possible date would be the first weekend of June. Election day would be on the weekend of June 6 or June 7 during the school holidays. This is if the writ of election is issued soon after the Hari Raya Puasa public holidays on 24 and 25 May.
Last but not least, it is unlikely that election day would be pushed back beyond National Day in August.
But hey: anything can happen.
