Parliamentary Elections Act 1954
Table of Contents
Long Title
Part 1 PRELIMINARY
1 Short title
2 Interpretation
3 Appointment of officers
4 Appointment of clerks and interpreters
5 Qualification of electors
6 Disqualification of electors
7 Plural voting
8 Electoral divisions
8A Group representation constituencies
9 Polling districts
Part 2 REGISTRATION OF ELECTORS AND REVISION OF REGISTERS
10 Registration of electors
11 Claims and objections
12 Appeals to Revising Officer
13 Certification of registers
13A Registration as overseas elector
14 Revision of registers
15 Method of revising register
16 Claims and objections at revision of register
17 Application of section 13 to revised register
18 Notices and adjournments
19 Persons residing in building located on common boundary
20 Notice of certification of register and commencement and period of operation
20A Redistribution of polling districts, etc.
21 Penalty for false statements and wrongful claims
21A Use of registers of electors
Part 3 ELECTIONS
22 Number of Members to be returned for each electoral division and group representation constituency
23 Assistant Returning Officers
24 Writ of election
25 Notice of time and place of election
26 Failure of election
27 Nomination papers
27A Election of Members on group basis in group representation constituencies
27B Nomination papers for elections in group representation constituencies
27C Committee to determine whether prospective candidate is Malay or other racial minority
28 Deposits by candidates
29 Proceedings on nomination day
29A Amendment of nomination papers
30 Objections to nomination papers
31 Persons entitled to be present during nomination proceedings
32 Withdrawal of candidature
32A Multiple nominations
UNCONTESTED ELECTIONS
33 Uncontested elections
CONTESTED ELECTIONS
34 Contested elections
34A Contested elections in group representation constituencies
35 Polling day at general election to be public holiday
36 Presiding officers
36A Polling places and polling stations
37 Facilities to be provided at polling stations
38 Registers of electors to be conclusive evidence of right to vote
39 Admittance to polling station
39A (Repealed)
40 Poll by ballot and ballot papers
40A Candidates’ photographs on ballot papers
41 Ballot boxes
42 Manner of voting
43 Compulsory voting
44 Declarations by voters
45 Spoilt ballot papers
46 Tendered votes
47 Closing of poll
47A Special polling arrangements to meet voting needs of certain voters
47B Voting at special polling station in lieu of voting at ordinary polling station
47C Regulations relating to special polling arrangements
48 Procedure on closing of poll
48A Counting places
49 Counting votes
49A (Repealed)
49B Recounting of votes
50 Votes to be rejected
50A Approval of DRE voting systems
50B Approval of DRE voting machines and equipment
50C Pre-poll testing of DRE voting system, etc.
50D DRE voting system procedures generally
51 Publication of result and statement of poll in Gazette
52 Election of non-constituency Members in certain circumstances
53 Failure to take Oath of Allegiance by non-constituency Member
54 Failure to comply with provisions of this Act
55 Offences
56 Maintenance of secrecy at elections
OVERSEAS VOTING
56A Voting at overseas polling station
56B Postal voting by overseas electors designated as postal voters
56C Pre-count examination of postal voting papers
56D Counting of votes by overseas electors
56E Ascertaining final results
56F Regulations for voting in overseas polling stations and postal voting
56G Other offences connected with postal voting
CORRUPT PRACTICES
57 Personation
58 Treating
59 Undue influence
60 Bribery
61 Punishment and incapacities for corrupt practice
ELECTION ADVERTISING
Division 1 — Transparency and accountability requirements
61A Objects of this Division
61B Published-by requirements
61C Election advertising ban during cooling-off period
61D Exceptions to cooling-off period election advertising ban
61E Certain traditional election advertising banned before nomination day
Division 2 — Campaign controls: candidates and political parties
61F Online election advertising, etc., in campaign period
61G Traditional election advertising in campaign period
61H Maximum permissible number for traditional election advertising displayed
61I Permissible locations for traditional election advertising display
61J Restricted signage zone of polling station in Singapore
Division 3 — Controls on third party campaigning, foreigners and manipulated content
61K Unauthorised third party online election advertising
61L Unauthorised third party non-online election advertising
61M Ban on foreigners, etc., publishing or displaying election advertising
61MA Ban on manipulated online election advertising containing realistic but false representation of candidate, etc.
Division 4 — Supplementary provisions
61N Corrective directions for online election advertising
61O Removal and confiscation of traditional election advertising, etc.
61P Evidence
61Q Defences
61R Election advertising regulations
61S Supplementary interpretive provisions for election advertising controls
ELECTION AGENT, ELECTION EXPENSES AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES
62 Appointment of election agent
63 Person convicted of corrupt practice, etc., not to be appointed election agent
64 Making of contracts through election agent
65 Payment of expenses through election agent
66 Period for sending in claims and making payments for election expenses
67 Remuneration of election agent
68 Expenses which may be paid otherwise than by election agents
69 Expenses in excess of maximum to be illegal practice
70 Certain expenditure to be illegal practice
71 Use of motor vehicles at elections
72 Certain employment to be illegal
73 Saving for creditors
73A Post-election declaration by candidates
74 Return and declaration respecting election expenses
74A Corrections to returns respecting election expenses, etc.
75 Publication of receipt of return, etc.
75A Supporting documents, etc., for returns respecting election expenses
76 Employers to allow employees reasonable period for voting
77 Badges, symbols, etc., prohibited on polling day and eve of polling day
78 (Repealed)
78A (Repealed)
78B (Repealed)
78C Blackout period for election survey results
78D Exit polls ban on polling day
78E Defence for section 78C or 78D offence
79 Punishment for conviction for illegal practice
80 Prohibition of canvassing on polling day and eve of polling day
80A Restrictions on election meetings
81 Prohibition of dissuasion from voting
82 Undue influence at or near polling station
83 Persons prohibited from conducting election activity
84 Unlawful assembly
85 Offence to operate loudspeaker
EXCUSE FOR CORRUPT AND ILLEGAL PRACTICE
86 Report exonerating candidate in certain cases of corrupt and illegal practice by agents
87 Power of election court to except innocent act from being illegal practice, etc.
87A Authorised excuse for non-compliance with section 73A
88 Authorised excuse for non-compliance with provisions as to return and statements respecting election expenses
GROUNDS FOR AVOIDING ELECTIONS
89 Avoidance by conviction of candidate
90 Application for avoidance of election on certain grounds
91 Proceedings in respect of qualification
Part 4 APPLICATIONS FOR AVOIDANCE OF ELECTION
92 Appointment and powers of Election Judge
93 Who may make application under section 90
94 Relief which may be claimed
95 Certificate of Election Judge as to validity of election
96 Report of Election Judge as to corrupt or illegal practice
97 Time for making application
98 Prohibition of disclosure of vote
99 Votes to be struck off at scrutiny
100 Procedure and practice on applications under section 90
101 Rejection of ballot paper by Returning Officer not to be questioned
Part 5 GENERAL
102 Minister may make regulations
102A Regulations relating to crisis management at election
102B Presentation to Parliament, etc.
103 Inaccurate description of persons and places
104 Publication of notices, etc.
105 Names of candidates
106 Use of schools as polling stations
107 Forms
108 Corporate offenders and unincorporated associations
109 Composition of offences
110 Service of documents
Legislative History
Abbreviations
Comparative Table