Do Not Be Intimidated on Election Day!
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/10/14/do-not-be-intimidated-on-election-day/
The recent calls for more opposition MPs to form the next government in Singapore are heartening. However, the issue of intimidation at polling centres remains an obstacle towards such an undertaking
Knowledge is power, and it is important for first-time voters especially to know what awaits them at the polling centre so that they may prepare themselves mentally and vote according to their wishes, whether it is for the ruling party or the opposition.
After the last Parliamentary Elections in 2006, there was a deluge of letters to newspapers from voters who complained of being intimidated at the polling centres. I believe that one person complained that when he asked why his ballot slip’s serial number was being written down, the only reason given by the registration officer was that they were simply instructed to do so.
I have voted twice as a resident of Joo Chiat Single Member Constituency, once at Siglap Community Centre and again at Victoria Junior College. I remember being very nervous as a virgin voter and can barely recall my initial experience apart from the fact that I was frightened into voting differently from my original intentions.
As such, I will only describe the setup and processes at the polling centre in Victoria Junior College for the benefit of my fellow citizens although one can reasonably expect these to be consistent across all polling centres.
As these are from memory, and no one wants to hang around the polling centre mapping the place, I apologize in advance for any discrepancies that are presented here.
Figure 1 is an example of what the polling centre looked like, with the circles behind the tables representing the registration officers there.
The first level of intimidation comes as you approach the tables for your attendance to be taken. Registration is necessary since voting is mandatory by law in Singapore. The strange thing that happened here was that although I had gone to the table on the right, the staff there had to shout out my name and identity card number to the people on the left. In this way, for some unknown reason your presence is announced to everyone present.
Next, the registration officers will write down the serial number on your ballot slip beside your name on their attendance sheet. This is indeed a very strange thing to do amid claims of ballot secrecy since it means that your vote can be linked back to you very easily!
Regarding the issue of privacy, one must remember that the Singapore government rejected the suggestion by the Bioethics Advisory Committee in 2006 to irreversibly de-identify medical information of medical research participants. In other words, the present situation in Singapore is that although personal identifiers (e.g., name, address etc.) and medical diagnoses are split into two databases, the de-identified information is ultimately reversible.
Although it may be unfair to link these two issues together, one cannot deny that the prudent thing to do would be to just do away with the serial numbers altogether. After all, they are not necessary to prove that you have done your duty as a citizen to vote.
The next area of intimidation is the physical space within which you write your vote. Figure 1 presents a top-down view of the booth that you are provided with. Diagonal partitions split it into four parts with each section having a small triangular table.
Although I can only speak for myself, I have never felt that the partitions on both sides of the writing booth to be sufficient in ensuring the privacy of my vote as they do not extend far enough from the table. In addition, there are certain booths that are also completely within the line-of-sight of the registration staff as is evident from the diagram.
In fact, even though Part III of the Parliamentary Elections Act states that “no person shall loiter in any street or public place within a radius of 200 metres of any polling station on polling day” (http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/non_version/cgi-bin/cgi_retrieve.pl?actno=REVED-218), I remember being able to make eye-contact with some people who were sitting perhaps just ten metres behind the table on the right as I marked my ballot.
As these people were seated outside the barrier surrounding the area in Figure 1 and not participating in the process itself, I cannot imagine why they were allowed to be within sight of the voting booths.
The final act of intimidation comes when it is time for you to deposit your ballot slip into the ballot box. As Figure 1 shows, the box is placed between the booths and the registration officers. In this case, even though you have to fold your ballot slip in half before dropping it in the box, the paper is thin enough for those present to “see” how you voted.
A better layout would be that which is utilized in Japan. There, the registration area is in a separate room from the voting booths and ballot box. Although I am not insinuating that anybody is trying to discern your vote, every step should be taken to prevent your choice from accidently being seen by the officers in the polling station.
Voting is a solemn affair that one needs to undertake with due consideration. It is hoped that, empowered with greater understanding of what awaits them at the polling station, citizens and especially first-time voters will be able do so in accordance to their conscience as well.
J Tan
