From the looks of it....election should be round the corner....
Registers of electors open for inspection
Arrangements being made for Singaporeans overseas to vote for the first time
Source: The Straits Times Interactive dd 28-Sep-2004
THE list of Singaporeans here and overseas who are eligible to vote in the next presidential and general elections is open for inspection from today, at community clubs and centres, and at designated embassies and consulates abroad.
The Elections Department also confirmed yesterday in response to questions from The Straits Times that arrangements being put into place mean that Singaporeans overseas will be able to vote for the first time when the polls are next held.
An estimated 100,000 to 150,000 Singaporeans are living, working or studying abroad.
Singapore's next scheduled presidential election will be held before Sept 1 next year.
A general election must be held in 2007 at the latest.
Opening the Registers of Electors for inspection is a routine exercise to ensure that details of electors - citizens aged at least 21 who are eligible to vote - are kept current.
It will allow Singaporeans to check the accuracy of personal details and those not listed, because they failed to vote previously, can also apply to be reinstated.
In Singapore, registers can be inspected at 105 community clubs and centres in the 14 Group Representation Constituencies and nine single-member constituencies, between 6pm and 9pm from Mondays to Fridays, and from 3pm to 7pm on Saturdays.
They can be inspected from today until Oct 11.
Those abroad can check the registers during this period in eight cities:
The high commissions in Canberra and London
The embassies in Beijing, Washington and Tokyo
Consulates-general in Hong Kong, Shanghai and San Francisco.
These eight sites, up from five previously, are also centres for applicants to register as overseas electors, and will serve as overseas polling stations when the time comes.
Those registering as overseas electors should do so at the eight missions abroad between today and Oct 18.
The registers are being revised as the law says this must be done no later than three years after the last election, which was in November 2001.
In the run-up to that election, the Government was putting a system in place to enable overseas Singaporeans to vote.
But the process was suspended after the uncertain security situation following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in America, and the possibility that Singapore's missions abroad could be targets.
While overseas voting is being introduced this time, an Elections Department spokesman said electronic voting - another element considered for the 2001 polls - will not be tried out at the next poll.
The Government said last year that e-voting could only be implemented after it passes an audit test.
When told that overseas voting would be possible, Mr David Teo, 46, operations manager with Frontier Silicon in Shenzhen, said he viewed voting as a 'fundamental responsibility...
'I want to participate in charting the direction of my country, so I will vote.'
While Mr Teo plans to take a train to the nearest city - Hong Kong - to register, Hawaii-based Malkeet Singh intends to fly to San Francisco to register and vote.
'It is good that the Government is being inclusive by including overseas Singaporeans and valuing our views,' Mr Singh said.
Details of the information put out by the Elections Department, including locations of community clubs and centres, eligibility criteria for overseas voters and forms that can be downloaded, are on the Singapore Elections website (www.elections.gov.sg).