I volunteered my full-day service as a polling agent because I wanted to share my time for a better and fair voting process not only for the opposition but for Singapore. I heard a plea for help from my fellow Singaporeans, the opposition, and I wanted to lend a hand. I went for the experience and to personally want to learn and audit the process. Whether we are election staff, incumbent or opposing agents or securities, we are one big family – Singaporeans. We want the best practice for Singapore.
I wanted to witness the whole process and meet the different strata of Singaporeans which was very enlightening. I would like here to make some observation and suggestions for future improvement in the next election. It will also be good if the voting public can share their feedback or contribution too as the same method was used for too long since the 60s. It is time for change to improve or to innovate.
1. THE VENUE and STAFF: The void-deck at polling station was airy and it was good that fans were fitted on the ceiling to cool everybody. It was still humid and warm at times. The security was adequate and the Election Staff (Presiding Officers) were very helpful, impartial and civil.
2. DIRECTION TO THE POLLING LOCATION. There is a need for some huge buntings or signage for old folks or less informed public to see the location from a distance. This is especially so for folks who may not have access to information for whatever reason. There should also be accompanying direction or signage to direct the public at bus stop or MRT or have non-partisan student volunteers at strategic locations to assist folks who may not be familiar with the location of their voting wards. I have seen folks coming in all sweaty and dazed because they lost their ways or been to the wrong Polling Station. Clear sign must show that the station is for Voting for e.g. WEST COAST GRC Constituency without having to consult the Presiding Officer.
3. AUTHENTICATION AND ANNOUNCEMENT. Voters queued up and had their Identity Card (IC) and Voting Claim Chit (VCC) – the one you received in your mail - checked at the table 1. The Presiding Officer at table 2 issue the Voting Slip for voting and announce the serial (which is the number on your Voting Claim Chit) and the name of the voter to confirm its correctness by the voter. I noted that voters normally remained puzzled or unsure on how to respond. A few said ‘Yes’. It will be better if the Presiding Officer ask, ‘Your serial number is e.g. 1234. Is your name Ong Kim Seng? (affirmative answer, Yes) Thank you, Please proceed to the booth (point direction) to cast your vote, instead of just ‘making an announcement’.
4. THE VOTING CLAIM CHIT AND THE VOTING SLIP. The Voting Claim Chit is the best evidence that the voters had arrived and been checked. It should be marked or stamped by the Election Dept to indicate that the voter had already claimed his Voting Slip. It must be indicated very clearly that it could be retained by the voter for souvenir or as proof of attendance after it had been signed or stamped by the presiding officer. Many voters were unsure here and some even wanted to put in the ballot box with their votes.
5. FAQ FOR PRESIDING OFFICERS. Two voters I witnessed asked why there was this serial number and wanted an answer. Some even looked at the PA - Polling Agents (one from each party) and asked what they were doing there. The Senior Presiding Officer had to intervene. All Presiding Officers should be trained to respond quickly to such standard FAQ instead of calling for the single Senior Presiding Officer to respond and hold the queue back.
6. INSUFFICIENT PRIVACY. Next he walked to the polling booth bypassing the Balloting Box. Voters asked what they needed to do after receiving the voting slip. The booth did not provide sufficient instruction or privacy and even from my seated position, I could see or guess that voters were marking the top or the bottom box. What about those other three voters walking behind her? There was one helpful presiding officer stationed next to the booth to help the voters but if clear graphic instructions are available, the Presiding Officer’s task could be easier and voting would be faster.
7. HUMAN TRAFFIC FLOW. It would have been better for the Ballot Box to be located after the Voting Booth to follow the flow of the human traffic (see Fig B).
Having marked the Voting slip, voters looked around and often have to be directed back to the BALLOTING BOX. Voters retreated and deposited the slip into one of the
two holes (slots). Voters were again confused. Which hole must he use? He hesitated and asked again for he must have thought that one is for Opposition vote and the other for the incumbent.
Clear instruction on the box is always helpful e.g.
Please fold your Voting Slip and deposit your Voting Slip through any of the slots here. One voter even walked towards the exit looking for the Ballot box. She eventually returned to put her vote in the box.
Having done that, voter would want to go out from where he came in. Very often the Presiding Officers had to re-direct them to go out the other way. There were arrow stickers on the floor but many missed them in the heat of the moment. It would be good to have clear bold words / signage for 1. IC Check-Point. 2. Voting Slip Issue Point. Ballot Box (currently the word ‘Ballot Box’ is less than an inch tall and not visible enough), Voting Booth, and Exit Point or ‘This way out” with and arrow sign placed at eye-level. Almost all voters asked if they need to surrender the Voting Claim Chit that is used to claim the Voting Slip. If only it is written in the VCC that the slip can be retained by the voter, there will be less questioning. As you can see from above, the voting process can be more productive. This can be easily corrected.
8. SPECIAL NEED OF THE HANDICAP (including ‘down-syndrome’ voters), AND THE VERY OLD CITIZENS. There should be a special lane (and even special staff) dedicated for such special voters. There is none. The narrow space between the tables did not amply allow the wheelchair to go through easily. All Voting Booths had the upper writing shelf but not all booths had the lower writing shelf for the disabled. It is commendable that the Presiding Officer helped such voter by pushing their wheelchairs and remaining impartial. There were a few ‘down-syndrome’ voters and it was not easy to manage them. Some old folks were so dependent on their relatives or caretakers and I could see that they were quite helpless or clueless when left alone to decide what to vote or what to do. While I have no solution here, I hope to highlight some issues here for future consideration by the Election Department.
9. PANTRY AND TOILET, RE-ENTRY. As an agent, I need to relieve myself and eat. I feel that refreshment should be funded by the state as only 6 agents in all were there. Whether we are election staff, agents or securities, we are one big family doing this national service once in 5 years.
Agents should be given the mobility to leave the station by surrendering their Identity Cards and claiming them back upon return. I could only leave the station once after returning my Official Label as I had only one photostat copy of my Polling Agent slip for re-entry. As the food supplied cannot be taken or consume inside the polling station, agent had to leave the station too. If I have to go out again, I cannot gain entry. It will be helpful to have a portable toilet and pantry space for staff and agents to fulfill their biological needs.
10. THE DESIGN OF THE VOTING SLIP AND MARKING PEN. As most voters were not accustomed to voting (because of previous many walkovers or lack of experience), many were not familiar with the voting process. Albeit there were ample video on TV and newspaper advisory but it will be useful to further remind voters at the point of action.
The fine line ball pen shows only a weak line and when viewed from a short distance (around the counting table at the Counting Centres can be difficult to see clearly especially on a grey background. I would recommend a fine black marker for this purpose.
What if voters make a honest mistake while marking? How many voters know that they could ask for a replacement from the presiding officer? I only knew this when I had time to read the election poster with fine print on one of the pillars on the wall but I did not see anyone reading it in the hustling. Voting instruction or exchange of slip should be pasted on the balloting booth inside in front of the small writing shelf. Instruction should also be stated clearly that the marking should be done inside the chosen box and it can be a tick, zero sign or a cross and nothing else (no smiley images, drawing, etc.) or they will be void. I have seen numerous occasion where voters ask the presiding officer on what mark to use. It also has to be made clear that any marking outside the box will render the vote void. If two or more marking are made then the vote will automatically be a spoilt vote. Such clear guidelines will make it easier for Counting Officers to objectively and swiftly make discarding of spoilt votes decisively. The public needs to know how votes are counted and how votes are considered void. This will reduce spoilt votes.
11. COLOUR OR BLACK AND WHITE? Voters are used to identify the party symbols in colour in all public communications but at the Polling station voters are faced with Black and White voting slips. With the advent of colour digital printing, such printing can be done in full colour very quickly. My grandma made an incorrect marking. She wanted to select the logo in red and ended up selecting the one in blue and red as she was confused. I wonder if many very senior citizens face the same problem too.
12. eVOTING OR ELECTRONIC COUNTING. Maybe in the near future we may have to consider electronic voting for better efficiency (see David Bismark’s new system for voting that contains a simple, verifiable way to prevent fraud and miscounting -- while keeping each person's vote secret at TEDTALK) As of now, the manual counting process will suffice, as our population of about 2.5 million voting public is still small. The slow counting also adds to the excitement of this very important national event every five year, far more so than the World Cup.
