General Election - Coming Soon - 11th September

[JR8]

Chill TMD, that's called ironic humour, leg-pulling. You might not get it but others do.

I'm quite sure that Ecu with his white suit, brown nose, and keen scent for a red passport will have divined it similarly

[Barnsley]

Ecureilx should have been given honorary citizenship of SG, by now.

well, considering his comments generally are grounded in the reality of Singapore and his apparent closer understanding of the locals vs what I have seen from the comments by other "expats" in this Forum, I would instead consider him for being an honorary foreigner of SG.

They are only grounded in his reality.

Things look very different to me , maybe he is a CPF half full guy and I am more of CPF half empty guy

[calugaruvaxile]

luckily there is the haze and the smrt nth breakdown happening. this should remind voters that - whatever nice words the politicians put in their speeches - the reality of their life is what it is

[Wd40]

May be SG should follow UK's rules for voting.

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/f ... l-election

To vote in a UK general election a person must be registered to vote and also:
18 or over
be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland
not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote

Basically, Ecureilx, JR8, Barnsley, Primrose Hill, PNGMK, Raj, Lynx and me, all of us can vote and make sure our beloved gahmen wins

Sorry SMS and ZZM, you guys still cant vote.

[JR8]

If overseas SGns are 'quitters' I imagine the gahmen are happy to see them disenfranchised. As it is an overseas SGn wishing to vote has to visit an overseas SGn embassy to cast it. Even harder still -> not all embassies host ballot boxes, only the largest ones. Example: the nearest such place for my wife to vote, would require a journey equivalent to driving NYC>Miami>NYC>Miami. Ironic as there is an SGn embassy a taxi ride away, but you can't vote there as there aren't enough eligible voters in the country to justify the burden involved.

re: the UK. I used to have a postal vote. That works ok, though it can get impossibly tight on timing in the event of a snap election. Or if you're away on holiday and the vote arrives in your absence. Then I had a proxy/postal, my father. But under new rules that would require not be postal, and it would require him to drive 200 miles R/T to cast it. So, for the past election I nominated my MPs 'agent' [PA] as my permanent proxy. Hell of a fiddle getting references, proof of ID and all required, but now it's done I shouldn't ever have to repeat the process .[... until they change the rules again I suppose.]

[Wd40]

There is a polling booth just next to my block and it is funny. Hardly any people there. There is much more buzz in the fairprice and wet market nearby. I had expected atleast a queue of the size as in fairprice.

[ecureilx]

If overseas SGns are 'quitters' I imagine the gahmen are happy to see them disenfranchised. As it is an overseas SGn wishing to vote has to visit an overseas SGn embassy to cast it.

I read somewhere that overseas votes will be taken into consideration, only if the outcome of the locally cast votes are inconclusive.

For Singaporeans, that may not mean much of vote swing.

How, if you take PH, there's like a 1 million voters out of the country that's a big chunk if not counted.

There is a polling booth just next to my block and it is funny. Hardly any people there. There is much more buzz in the fairprice and wet market nearby. I had expected atleast a queue of the size as in fairprice.

Well, am sure you know that unlike back home, voting here is compulsory.

Buzz or not, all would have to cast their votes or risk getting struck off the voters list.

PS, WD40, seems I can vote in the UK General Elections Now I get it, why a lot of foreigners are wondering why PRs here can't vote !

[ecureilx]

Things look very different to me , maybe he is a CPF half full guy and I am more of CPF half empty guy

Nice anecdote

[Wd40]

Yes, exactly! Which is why I was surprised there was no queue at the polling station.

[JR8]

I read somewhere that overseas votes will be taken into consideration, only if the outcome of the locally cast votes are inconclusive. For Singaporeans, that may not mean much of vote swing.

What I do know is o/seas SGns can go to their nearest embassy to cast votes. I don't know if they get to vote early. The ballot-box is then taken in the embassy car and on the air-side of the airport (actually out on the tarmac) handed by embassy staff to a pre-nominated SQ flight-crew officer who signs off for it. It is then in his personal care during the trip to Changi. Not that he has it on his lap in the cockpit (at least I don't think so!), but there is a specific hold for diplomatic and security-cleared [cough] cargo.
This might explain why you can vote in few countries, since SQ do not have direct flights to the capital of many countries. And other countries don't have enough SGns to justify the trouble.
How what you suggest might be escapes me. Are you talking about inconclusive at at national level? If so that's never going to happen is it, and hence all this trouble in casting votes and flying them home wouldn't happen. I know some SGns go to a lot of trouble and expense to cast their votes: Why would anyone bother if the process is futile? And you can't mean at a district level, since any ballot box could contain votes for all districts.
Perhaps it was scare-mongering, to dissuade the Quitters from voting... ?

PS, WD40, seems I can vote in the UK General Elections Now I get it, why a lot of foreigners are wondering why PRs here can't vote !

I'd be interested to know on what basis. It'd be cute if you are, given the epic trouble I have had voting!

[ecureilx]

How what you suggest might be escapes me. Are you talking about inconclusive at at national level? If so that's never going to happen is it, and hence all this trouble in casting votes and flying them home wouldn't happen. I know some SGns go to a lot of trouble and expense to cast their votes: Why would anyone bother if the process is futile? And you can't mean at a district level, since any ballot box could contain votes for all districts.
Perhaps it was scare-mongering, to dissuade the Quitters from voting... ?

Well, I doubt it is about fear mongering, but if I understood correctly, since there is not national list election etc, if a particular constituency has inconclusive results (tie?) then the overseas votes for that constituency is counted. Or something like that.

I can't find the story now

I'd be interested to know on what basis. It'd be cute if you are, given the epic trouble I have had voting!

Details in the link posted by WD40. though I am sure it applies to citizens of Commonwealth holding residency in UK !

[Wd40]

If you are in the UK during the election, you can vote. Even if you are on a visit pass!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... nship.html

New arrivals from Commonwealth countries - including Australia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nigeria - automatically acquire voting rights on arrival in the UK even if they are only staying for a short time.

Ironic, thing though UK calls them "immigrants" but lets them vote. SG calls its PRs "Foreign Talents" but doesn't allow to vote.

[ecureilx]

If you are living and working in the UK on a work permit. You can vote. My Indian friends in UK voted this time, without PR.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... nship.html

Ironic, thing though UK calls them "immigrants" but lets them vote. SG calls us "Foreign Talents" but doesn't allow us.

So you want to vote to decide the future of a country that you not a citizen of ?

And, Well, UK has a lot of policies, in my personal opinion, are unpalatable

And maybe, I read too much of DailyWail, I am bit influenced, reading about the horror stories, for example, how criminal immigrants are let to stay, as the criminals expect the UK system to protect them, than send them back, and I am talking of criminals who have continued to commit crimes in UK.

That's for a start

[JR8]

Details in the link posted by WD40. though I am sure it applies to citizens of Commonwealth holding residency in UK !

Ah right, so it doesn't apply to you, which is what you were suggesting

If you are registered for council tax, then it's my understanding you automatically go on the electoral roll, and stay on it. Seems fair enough to me that tenants pay the tax, so get to help choose who spends that money running their borough.

[As a UK citizen abroad, and payer of UK taxes I'm entitled to vote in the last borough in which I was registered for council tax, and hence am still on the electoral roll there].

[singapore eagle]

Right, despite not being able to vote, I think election night is worth staying up for.

Here's the picture as I understand it.

1) The PAP looks a certain winner in more than 2/3rds of the seats. Any sort of action anywhere except the places I list below would be a huge surprise.

2) The interesting seats are as follows:

i) Aljunied GRC, Hougang SMC, Punggol East SMC - WP seats currently and very likely to hold. The share of the votes will be interesting.

ii) East Coast GRC - the WP's number 1 target. Definitely vulnerable.

iii) Fengshan SMC, Sengkang West, Marine Parade GRC - could conceivably go to the WP on a good or very good or very very good night, but more likely narrowish PAP wins.

iv) Jalan Besar GRC, Nee Soon GRC, MacPherson GRC - WP contesting, but without much conviction

v) Holland-Bukit Timah GRC - SDP and Dr Chee up contesting. Maybe too much to do, but capable of giving the PAP a bit of a scare given Dr Chee's apparent popularity?

vi) Potong Pasir SMC, Mountbatten SMC - seats contested by the SPP (Chiam See Tong's party) where the personalities of the candidates are very strong. Difficult to call.

Anyone have a different view?