Over 23k S'poreans can vote in Hougang by-election

Exactly 23,358 Singaporeans are eligible to cast their votes for the Hougang by-election on polling day, 26 May.

According to media reports citing the Elections Department (ELD), that is 1,192 fewer than the 24,560 Singaporeans who trooped to the polls in the Hougang single member constituency in last year’s May general election.

The cut in vote numbers is because names of voters who did not participate in the last two elections and of residents who moved out of the constituency were taken out, Channel NewsAsia quoted the department as saying.

The register of electors for Hougang constituency was last updated on 19 March.

Residents living in the single-seat ward will vote for a new Member of Parliament, if there is more than one candidate contesting. Names of the candidates will be announced on nomination day on 16 May, after which rally sites and assembly centres will be announced.

Campaigning will start on nomination day until cooling off day on 25 May.

Rules and guidelines for the by-election will be the same as last year's General Election but there will not be any party political broadcasts, AsiaOne reported. This is because the by-election is a small-scale event with a small number of voters, and there are sufficient avenues for candidates to campaign, said ELD.

Voters will go to one of the nine polling stations situated in the constituency, and two schools -- Holy Innocent Primary school and Serangoon Secondary School -- will be used as counting centres, said CNA.