GE2020: Polling 101 For Dummies, Here’s What You Need To Know

It’s happening!! General Election 2020 is finally happening my friends, President Halimah has dissolved Parliament and we’re set to poll on 10 July 2020. If you’re a first-time voter or just generally politically unaware and unsure what happens now, here’s a digestible timeline of what’s going to happen from now, till the day you have to cast your vote.

23 June: Parliament Dissolves

PM Lee announces his intention for GE2020 to happen. President Halimah dissolves parliament and issues the Writ Of Election.

30 June: Nomination Day

This is a day where prospective candidates submit their nomination papers, election deposits and relevant documents.

1 July – 8 July: Campaigning Period

This is the time where all the different political parties campaign and show voters what they can offer if you were to cast your vote for them. Do take note of your electorial division in order to understand who you should be paying attention to and see if they best represent your area.

9 July: Cooling-Off Day

A day before Polling day, all campaigning must end on 8 July. This day is intended for Singaporeans to digest the information they received during the campaigning period.

10 July: Polling Day

Under the law, Polling Day is a public holiday to ensure that all Singaporeans have time to cast their votes. It is compulsory for all eligible Singapore citizens to vote.

This is going to be a whirlwind of an election, with all of the above taking place in a duration of a mere three weeks. This election is an unprecedented one as well, with Singaporeans having to take extra precautions as COVID-19 still exists. I’m excited to see how Singaporeans will vote and how campaigning will look like with these social distancing measures enforced.