Singapore Politics

Yo thrasy,

Another insightful article from u.

But your last paragraph is intriguing to say the least.

Is there really such a person around? lolz

Thank you for the insight on the vote counting mechanics. Since the votes are "rojaked" on the tables before sorting out, why are the voters assigned to specific voting lines? And what is the purpose of the omnimous serial number? I saw the clerk recording surrepticiously the serial number of my voting card - why didn't she simply write it openly in front of me in an open record book? Is it possible, say, for a group of citizens to demand to see their voting slips, to confirm that their votes were indeed recorded as per their choice? Under what circumstances does the High Court Judge actually request the sealed ballot boxes to be reopen? Finally, wouldn't it be simpler and cheaper to mark the voters with indelible ink chop as is done in other countries if the intent is to prevent ballot box stuffing?

Hi at82

I guess my last words in the article might have caused some thoughts to you in the middle of the night....lol

Well, this person may or may not exist. But "Old Lee" is not taking his chances. He came from an era where there was a power struggle after Mao Tze-Tung, fall of Suharto and the street fight between Anwar and Dr M. So you see why he is paranoid over his own position and his son's position. Although I think that no one in the present Cabinet has such ambition and power, Old Lee is not taking this for granted. So I guess, none of us will know, but the future will be intriguing. Haha....take care and don't think too much. It might not even happen within our lifetime.

Cheers!
T

Hi Siew Kwun

Maybe I could answer your question systematically.

1) Why are the voters assigned to specific voting lines?

The votes are "rojaked" within their district codes (which is around 5-6,000 votes) and not across. The reason for them to stick closely to the Registor of Electors is for the Opposition as well as the Election Department to track the voters turnout. Since voting is compulsory, voters who failed to vote will be imposed a nominal fine. This is the way to verify the non-voting.

2)What is the purpose of the omnimous serial number?

This acts as an deterrance to any stuffing of ballot boxes, particularly during the votes counting. Many wouldn't buy this argument but in the West, they encountered lots of voting problems. For example, if New Orleans, which is predominately Afro-American of lesser education tends to vote for the Democrats. Republicans might play foul to prevent them of their votes and there would be little ways to track and confirm the patterns. In the last Presidential Election, there was a successful hoax to ask these voters to go to the wrong place for voting at the wrong day. But there was no way to reverse it.

3) Why didn't she simply write it openly in front of me in an open record book?

In the polling station that I witnessed, I found no such problem. Perhaps that particular civil servant was over-zealous. In any case, he/she has to be non-partizen.

4) Is it possible, say, for a group of citizens to demand to see their voting slips, to confirm that their votes were indeed recorded as per their choice?

Technically, it is not possible. First, only the President or the Returning Officer can order the High Court Judge to reopen the ballot boxes. For which both Opposition and PAP candidate must be present. Second, it is almost impossible to find your particular vote as there are around a million votes casted this time around. So you will have to trace your votes in one of the 600-700 boxes. And if you found that box, it is one of the 2000-3000 votes in the box.

5) Under what circumstances does the High Court Judge actually request the sealed ballot boxes to be reopen?

Unless that there is a suspected stuffing of ballot box with evidences of fake votes. Or either of the Candidates is unhappy with the procedure and suspects that there is foul play involved. For which, an independent (maybe an overseas witness) maybe appointed to oversee the opening. If the seal is tampered with broken, the judge may open an inquiry to investigate.

6) Finally, wouldn't it be simpler and cheaper to mark the voters with indelible ink chop as is done in other countries if the intent is to prevent ballot box stuffing?

It could be cheaper but is much easier to duplicate. It is the same logic as the dollar note where the most obvious marking is the serial number but not the various markings. By matching the serial number to the elector registers and to the NRIC, it is actually the cheapest method and lowest probability of fraud. Again, it is more of a deterrance.

Hope this helps. But don't quote me on this as it is based on my observations on the procedure.

Cheers!
T

Hi T,

Relac la.

I am a vampire leh lolz.

Anyway I am not thinking too much la, juz curious.

Cheers

I think it is possible to track who votes for who.

The ballot slip is torn from several huge books like tickets from a book of lucky draw coupons. As each ballot slip is given to a voter isn't the voter's registration number then written on the counterfoil of the ballot slip?

So registration number -> is tied to ballot serial number via counterfoil -> tied to ballot -> tied to vote.

And although several ballot boxes are mixed at the counting centers, the fact is that the ballots once counted will be sealed back into their originating ballot boxes. These are also returned to the elections department.

Of course, to sort out who votes for who could be a time-consuming task, but not impossible given that you only have to match a few thousand counterfoils to a few thousand ballots. Just remember, that mail sorting machines can do wonders for this kind of work.

Hi Anonymous

Well, the question is why should the government commit that much time and hours to track individual votes? To recriminate him?

Seriously, if one is true about his political beliefs, he/she should not worry about this. The people that should worry are the Oppositions. Yet all spoke in confidence of the voting secrecy.

In the end, by monitoring the who votes what is pointless. The procedure has been going on for many elections, and just name one person that was discriminated by the government for his choice of his vote.

Cheers!
T

Hey anonymous, the only worry should be whether the actual number of votes have been allocated to the right party. Having a serial number is a good thing in fact because it provides accountability. One shouldnt worry for which party he/she votes for as it's not a criminal offence, it's every singaporean legal right! In fact, one should vote using his/her conscience.

Hi T, coming clean a little yea? ;)

"just name one person that was discriminated by the government for his choice of his vote" sounds remarkably similar to Lee Kuan Yew's TV challenge for Ken to name those who said they were afraid to vote against the PAP. I look forward to the day when the list of victims will finally stand up to recount their tales of discrimination; that day will only come about when the PAP is toppled from power.

Hi Amatu

We finally agreed on something! Haha...I've always been clean.

Hi Gladys

I see no reason to be afraid if you have voted for the opposition. Off-hand, I can name you at least 10 people working in high positions (in the civil service) who voted for the Opposition based on what they told me and the rest of the people. I see that they have not been discriminated whatsoever.

Now, my question again, is that what is the purpose of hoping for PAP to topple from power? Is it because they are lesser capabilities than the Opposition or just because you hated them? This question can be asked as what you want of Singapore.

Cheers!
T

Z: nobody voted for opposition expecting to topple PAP, you were just asking a rhetorical question telling people they are dumb, as PAP (and Li Ao) often does

"give PAP a strong mandate" or to "help opposition to keep PAP humble so it would serve you better" are both valid theories; which one a person accepts depends on his experience and emotional makeup, and on how well the parties give out the messages during a campaign; this time, PAP ran a poor campaign; it can learn a lesson and do better next time

The way I see it, if everyone, and there was an alarming number in the most recent elections, thought that voting for any opposition regardless of whatever they stand for (which is not much right now IMO) simply to "keep the PAP humble" is a really dangerous way of thinking. We assume that the PAP, regardless of whether they make a good or bad governement, will always be in power and that enough people will vote the PAP but if enough people are naive enough to think that their one vote doesn't matter and that their one vote for the opposition won't topple the PAP etc, we could very well see a very different Singapore one day and it could be a Singapore we don't want.

I'm not pro-PAP and I always feel compelled to state this as it's a label one often gets unfairly stuck with if one is supportive of the current government. I will consider and vote for an opposition if I feel that they have it in them to lead and speak on my behalf and support the issues I believe in, currently eveything the oppostition has put forth is just flimsy. I think people who vote simply to humilate the PAP play a very dangerous game. If anything, what I learnt about Singaporeans in the recent election really made me realise that there may be some truth in Li Ao's comment. Singaporean are perhaps dumb but not because we don't protest but because so many seem so willing to throw away the good life and destroy a government which is at this point in time still a good government.

this is the so called "freak result" scenario used to frighten people; like if every student thinks "I can skip class today; it wont do any harm", we end up with an empty classroom - a valid theory; however, I doubt this actually happens in any school recently

"freak result" senario... Interestingly enough it wasn't anything the PAP said that make me think that what we have now could be lost in an instant. It wasn't what the PAP said that frightened me, it was all the talk from my neighbours, at the coffeeshops, in the park etc that made me realise how little people value what they have now. I read up more about the opposition and what they said than I did about the PAP and I'm not naive enough to believe the "freak result" senario could happen just simply because a party says it could happen. It's an election and people want to win so of course they'll say stuff to try and get them the vote. I use my eyes and ears to observe what is going on around me and I realise that this so called "freak result" senario could really could happen one day. It won't happen in this election but the possibility of that happening in the future is there because I do know more people than I care to that voted for the opposition for no other reason than they "need a voice". And they didn't care who this voice was or what he stood for, they just wanted a voice. That's not voting responsibly at all.

I have lived overseas, I lived for many years in the United States and have lived in three different States and visited many cities and I think I appreciate Singapore more because of what I saw in the States. The lack of proper public transportation, the lack of funds in many poorer parts of a relative rich city, real poverty, the inefficiency of the government, the hypocrisy of American politics and ideology, the simple fact that the ordinary man has about as much control over his and his country's own fate as he does in a country like Singapore etc led me to think that the American political model is over-rated.

And actually, in church, on a long weekend, lots of people think that it won't do any harm to skip church that week and we do sometimes end up with half the congregation not there. Maybe not empty but certainly not ideal. Simply put, it can happen.

people are "ungrateful" for their own reasons; PAP simply has to campaign well, which it did not in the recent election

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