Elections Department to release sample count results on Polling Day

SINGAPORE - The Elections Department (ELD) will make public the results of sample counts before election results are officially announced on September 11.

Sample counts will be carried out at each of the 16 GRCs and 13 SMCs to prevent speculation and misinformation. Sample counts also help election officials to check against the final election result.

Once voting ends, a counting assistant from each polling station will randomly pick 100 ballot papers in the presence of candidates and counting agents.

The votes will be added up, with weightage given to account for the difference in the number of votes cast at each station.

The assistant returning officer will then record the votes for each candidate and shares the sample count for that station with them.

The sample count for the electoral division will be released and published on the ELD website while counting is in progress.

Nonetheless, actual results could differ from sample counts, and members of the public should wait for the announcement by the returning officer, ELD said.

According to Channel NewsAsia, this will be the first time the sample count results are released to the public.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

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