According to reports in local media, the Elections Department (ELD) has been mobilising public servants for training to be election officials. This indicates preparations for the next General Election, which has a January 2017 deadline.
Educational officers and teachers, as well as other civil servants and public officials, have confirmed the receipt of letters over the last month informing them of their identification as election officials. This requires them to complete an online training module, prior to in-person training for their role.
The ELD publicly confirmed that the “ELD prepares and organises the Public Service to conduct elections in Singapore. Amongst other work, ELD selects and trains public officers on an ongoing basis to perform election duties during an election”.
The duties of election officials involved overseeing voting at polling stations. These are usually located within schools, community centres , void decks and other public facilities.
For the 2006 General Elections, public servants were recalled for training about 18 months before the elections. For the 2011 General Elections, the public servants were mobilised to serve 31 months prior to elections.