PUBLIC SERVANTS CALLED UP TO TRAIN AS ELECTION OFFICIALS

With the January 2017 deadline for the next General Election looming closer, the Elections Department (ELD) has been calling up public servants for training to be election officials, as part of the electoral process.

Teachers spoke to confirmed that they have received letters — some last month and others in the past week — informing them that they have been identified as election officials, and requiring them to complete an online training module before attending in-person training at a later date.

Responding to queries, the ELD said in an emailed statement: “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.”

Overseeing voting at polling stations — usually located within schools, community centres or void decks — will be among the various roles election officials will take on.

For the 2006 and 2011 General Elections, public servants were called up for training about 18 months and 31 months before the elections, respectively.