21.—(1) This regulation applies if a crisis management response in relation to a polling station is carried out under regulation 20.
(2) The Returning Officer must, as soon as practicable, inform the candidates or groups of candidates (as the case may be) for the affected electoral division of the crisis management response.
(3) If any sealed ballot boxes containing votes cast at the affected polling station have been received by the Returning Officer —
(a)
the ballot boxes must not be unsealed and the votes inside the ballot boxes must not be counted; and
(b)
the Returning Officer must —
(i)
hold the ballot boxes in safe custody for 6 months; and
(ii)
destroy the ballot boxes at the end of those 6 months unless the President or Election Judge otherwise orders.
(4) Subject to paragraph (3), if the crisis management response does not require the restarting of any poll, the Returning Officer must proceed with the counting of votes for the election in the affected electoral division as nearly as possible in accordance with the Act.
(5) The following provisions apply if the crisis management response includes the restarting of the poll at the affected polling station:
(a)
if the affected polling station is in Singapore, votes must not be counted at —
(i)
the counting place specified in respect of the affected polling station (whether the votes are cast at the affected polling station or elsewhere); and
(ii)
all other counting places located at the same premises,
until the restarted poll is completed;
(b)
subject to sub-paragraph (a) and paragraph (3), the votes cast in Singapore for the election in the affected electoral division must proceed to be counted as nearly as possible in accordance with the Act;
(c)
the restarted poll must be conducted as nearly as possible in accordance with the Act;
(d)
all ballot boxes containing votes cast at an overseas polling station —
(i)
must not be unsealed;
(ii)
must be held in safe custody by the Returning Officer; and
(iii)
must be despatched by the Returning Officer to the counting place or places for overseas votes;
(e)
the counting of —
(i)
the overseas votes despatched under sub‑paragraph (d)(iii);
(ii)
the votes cast by the postal voting method; and
(iii)
the votes cast at the restarted poll,
must be conducted at the same time and as nearly as possible in accordance with the Act.
(6) If the poll for an election in an electoral division is to be conducted on 2 or more days as a result of a crisis management response in regulation 20, references to polling day in the Act are to be modified in the manner set out in regulation 18.