SINGAPORE – More than 2.5 million ballot papers and other documents used in the 2023 Presidential Election have been destroyed as part of the process to ensure the secrecy of votes.
On March 2, sealed boxes containing the ballot papers and other documents were removed from the Supreme Court vault in the morning, then transported to the Tuas South Incineration Plant, where they were burned.
Neither President Tharman Shanmugaratnam nor the other candidates were there to witness the proceedings – as allowed by the Elections Department (ELD).
The 2023 Presidential Election was held on Sept 1, 2023, in which a three-cornered contest took place.
Mr Tharman garnered 70.41 per cent of the vote. Former GIC investment chief Ng Kok Song and former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian received 15.72 per cent and 13.87 per cent, respectively.
Under the Presidential Elections Act 1991, ballot papers and other documents used in an election shall be sealed and retained in safe custody for a period of six months, after which they will be destroyed, unless otherwise directed by order of the President.
The total number of local and overseas votes at the election was 2,534,711 – inclusive of 50,230 rejected votes – said the ELD in a September 2023 statement.
Voter turnout was more than 93 per cent of eligible voters.
Voters abroad turned up at 10 overseas polling stations to cast their ballots. This election featured postal voting for the first time, which more than 3,400 overseas voters registered for.
