The recent plans for conducting a General Election during a crisis has drawn ire from netizens. Many have questioned the cost of such a venture–especially the safety measures that would have to be put in place for the provision of disposable gloves for each voter.
With the Covid-19 pandemic already wreaking havoc on Singapore’s economy and forcing the Government to draw from its reserves, there has been an increased awareness of the need to spend wisely. However, with plans for the upcoming elections already underway, safety measures will have to be put in place as the Covid-19 virus remains a threat. Because of this, the next General Elections are going to be starkly different from previous ones.
According to a recent article by straitstimes.com, 1,100 polling stations will be put up, which is 220 more than the usual 880. Given that safe distancing is key in the battle against Covid-19, the voting process will also have measures in place that will ensure distance is kept between voters such as recommended time bands, which will prevent crowding in the polls. Temperature screening, electronic registration, constant sanitisation of “common touch points”, and mandatory face-mask wearing will also be implemented, as announced by the Elections Department (ELD) on Monday (June 8). In addition to this, voters will be provided with disposable gloves in order to reduce the risk of contaminated ballot papers.
As these safety measures are bound to cost money, netizens have raised this as a key concern with regard to the upcoming elections. Many have wondered why elections are still being planned out given the Covid-19 threat. While some raised concerns over the health risks, others voiced out their sentiments regarding the cost. One netizen even said, “It is definitely costing more to proceed with GE during Covid 19.” Others found an issue with providing every voter with a set of disposable gloves.
Photo: screengrab from Facebook comments / The Straits Times
