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The single voter (left) in the new Tampines Changkat SMC's EC42 polling district.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Jasper Lim
PUBLISHED ON April 10, 2025 4:02 PMBySean LerJasper Lim
Shock and disbelief — these were the initial reactions from the solo voter in Tampines Changkat SMC's polling district EC42, when told of his status.
"Impossible. This is such a huge area with many new flats," said the 53-year-old voter who only wanted to be known by his surname Yeo.
The recent report from the Electoral Boundary Review Committee (EBRC), released on March 11, revealed an anomaly: one polling district had only a single registered voter, who turned out to be Yeo.
This polling district, EC42, is bordered by Bedok Park Connector, Simei Avenue, Tampines Avenue 1, and the Pan Island Expressway. It was previously part of the East Coast GRC.
The polling district contains four new BTO projects, namely, Tampines GreenEmerald, Tampines GreenOpal, Tampines GreenQuartz and Tampines GreenTopaz; SAFRA Tampines clubhouse, Tampines Industrial Park A, an international school, and several smaller industrial buildings.
EC42 was last updated by ELD on February 14, 2025. Until the release of the EBRC's report in March, this polling district was under East Coast GRC. IMAGE: Elections Department
Since the release of the EBRC report, several media outlets have attempted but failed to locate the elusive sole voter.
The assumption was that this single voter is likely to reside in the recently-completed Tampines GreenEmerald BTO project.
Contractors and site security guards whom AsiaOne spoke to at this BTO project said that the earlier batches of homeowners who received their keys only commenced renovations in February this year.
And since the Registry of Electors was updated as of February 1, 2025, there would not have been reasonably sufficient time for any new homeowner to complete even minimal renovations, move in, and have their registered address changed to the newly completed BTO.
Through ground queries and observations, AsiaOne managed to track the single registered voter Yeo down to the JTC-managed Tampines Industrial Park A, which is just a five-minute drive away from the new BTO projects.
He took over the 50-year-old family business from his elderly father after it was relocated from the northern part of Singapore to Tampines more than 20 years ago.
The 53-year-old told AsiaOne that as the sole proprietor, he often spends long hours at work every day, except for Sundays.
"It was for the convenience to run this business," explained Yeo, adding that he doesn't live in this unit.
Although there has been a buzz of activities with the upcoming general election, Yeo appeared unfazed.
He is aware that the area is under the care of the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for East Coast GRC Jessica Tan and the many developments over the past 20-odd years, but has not (yet) found out who is the MP for Tampines Changkat SMC.
"I have been working here for nearly 20 years.
"There have been a lot of developments (and changes) over the past years. And now, there are many BTOs around here," said Yeo who felt that there are pros and cons to his business with the busier environment and crowds.
For now, Yeo is content with keeping his family business running, especially for his elderly father who founded the business. His parents have largely left the running of the business to him.
He does not know where his polling station will be as poll cards are only sent to qualified voters after Nomination Day, and if the election is contested.
AsiaOne understands that Yeo will be assigned to a polling station in an adjacent polling district, if the SMC is contested.
"An individual's declared place of residence should be based on his physical address.
"This ensures that government agencies can reliably reach individuals for various purposes, including voter registration, contact tracing during health emergencies, and other administrative matters," said the agency.
ICA said it is important that IC holders make truthful declarations, as these addresses serve as the official point of contact for government agencies.
It added that in cases where property or premise owners have issued guidelines restricting the use of their premises as a place of residence, it is the responsibility of these owners to enforce such restrictions.
The agency added that "it is not operationally tenable for ICA to verify every person's declared place of residence or to check with premise owners if they disallow individuals to reside in their commercial or industrial buildings".
ICA said it is now investigating Yeo's case and is unable to provide further details at this juncture.
Under the Act, those who have failed to report a change of address or falsely declared their residential address may be fined up to $5,000, or jailed for up to five years, or both.
singapore
This man is the only voter in this Tampines Changkat SMC polling district - here's what he has to say
ICA is now investigating this case. The newly formed SMC comprises 8 polling districts from Tampines and one formerly from East Coast GRC.
The single voter (left) in the new Tampines Changkat SMC's EC42 polling district.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Jasper Lim
PUBLISHED ON April 10, 2025 4:02 PMBySean LerJasper Lim
Shock and disbelief — these were the initial reactions from the solo voter in Tampines Changkat SMC's polling district EC42, when told of his status.
"Impossible. This is such a huge area with many new flats," said the 53-year-old voter who only wanted to be known by his surname Yeo.
The recent report from the Electoral Boundary Review Committee (EBRC), released on March 11, revealed an anomaly: one polling district had only a single registered voter, who turned out to be Yeo.
This polling district, EC42, is bordered by Bedok Park Connector, Simei Avenue, Tampines Avenue 1, and the Pan Island Expressway. It was previously part of the East Coast GRC.
The polling district contains four new BTO projects, namely, Tampines GreenEmerald, Tampines GreenOpal, Tampines GreenQuartz and Tampines GreenTopaz; SAFRA Tampines clubhouse, Tampines Industrial Park A, an international school, and several smaller industrial buildings.
Since the release of the EBRC report, several media outlets have attempted but failed to locate the elusive sole voter.
The assumption was that this single voter is likely to reside in the recently-completed Tampines GreenEmerald BTO project.
Contractors and site security guards whom AsiaOne spoke to at this BTO project said that the earlier batches of homeowners who received their keys only commenced renovations in February this year.
And since the Registry of Electors was updated as of February 1, 2025, there would not have been reasonably sufficient time for any new homeowner to complete even minimal renovations, move in, and have their registered address changed to the newly completed BTO.
Through ground queries and observations, AsiaOne managed to track the single registered voter Yeo down to the JTC-managed Tampines Industrial Park A, which is just a five-minute drive away from the new BTO projects.
How he became the sole voter
Speaking to AsiaOne, a very surprised Yeo shared that he had changed his residential address located in central Singapore to this industrial unit in Tampines.He took over the 50-year-old family business from his elderly father after it was relocated from the northern part of Singapore to Tampines more than 20 years ago.
The 53-year-old told AsiaOne that as the sole proprietor, he often spends long hours at work every day, except for Sundays.
"It was for the convenience to run this business," explained Yeo, adding that he doesn't live in this unit.
Although there has been a buzz of activities with the upcoming general election, Yeo appeared unfazed.
He is aware that the area is under the care of the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for East Coast GRC Jessica Tan and the many developments over the past 20-odd years, but has not (yet) found out who is the MP for Tampines Changkat SMC.
"I have been working here for nearly 20 years.
"There have been a lot of developments (and changes) over the past years. And now, there are many BTOs around here," said Yeo who felt that there are pros and cons to his business with the busier environment and crowds.
For now, Yeo is content with keeping his family business running, especially for his elderly father who founded the business. His parents have largely left the running of the business to him.
He does not know where his polling station will be as poll cards are only sent to qualified voters after Nomination Day, and if the election is contested.
AsiaOne understands that Yeo will be assigned to a polling station in an adjacent polling district, if the SMC is contested.
ICA investigating
Responding to AsiaOne's questions, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that under the National Registration Act, all identity card (IC) holders are required to report a change of address within 28 days of moving into a new address, whether local or overseas."An individual's declared place of residence should be based on his physical address.
"This ensures that government agencies can reliably reach individuals for various purposes, including voter registration, contact tracing during health emergencies, and other administrative matters," said the agency.
ICA said it is important that IC holders make truthful declarations, as these addresses serve as the official point of contact for government agencies.
It added that in cases where property or premise owners have issued guidelines restricting the use of their premises as a place of residence, it is the responsibility of these owners to enforce such restrictions.
The agency added that "it is not operationally tenable for ICA to verify every person's declared place of residence or to check with premise owners if they disallow individuals to reside in their commercial or industrial buildings".
ICA said it is now investigating Yeo's case and is unable to provide further details at this juncture.
Under the Act, those who have failed to report a change of address or falsely declared their residential address may be fined up to $5,000, or jailed for up to five years, or both.
