The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has launched an investigation into a case involving a single registered voter in a polling district that reportedly had no valid residences at the time.
This case surfaced following the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee’s (EBRC) report, released on 11 March 2025, in preparation for the upcoming general election.
The solo voter was listed under East Coast 42 polling district, which will fall under the new Tampines Changkat Single Member Constituency (SMC) in the upcoming election.
According to the state media The Straits Times, the polling district includes only three Housing Board Build-To-Order (BTO) projects and an industrial estate.
At the time the report was compiled—based on the Provisional Registers of Electors as of 1 February—none of the BTO flats had fully housed residents.
Two of the BTO developments were still under construction.
The third, Tampines GreenEmerald, had only begun issuing keys on 23 February, several weeks after the electoral roll cutoff.
Google Maps and ground checks corroborated that there were no valid residential addresses in the area as of 1 February.
In response to media queries, ICA stated: “ICA is investigating the case of the solo voter and is unable to provide further details at this juncture.”
ICA explained that under the National Registration Act, it is mandatory for all identity card (IC) holders to report a change of address within 28 days of moving. This requirement applies to both local and overseas relocations.
The change can be submitted through ICA’s online change-of-address e-service.
The agency emphasised that individuals must declare their actual physical residence.
“This ensures that government agencies can reliably reach individuals for various purposes, including voter registration, contact tracing during health emergencies, and other administrative matters,” ICA said.
It added that these official addresses serve as the main point of contact for public agencies and must therefore be accurate and truthfully declared.
Where property owners have rules restricting residential use of their premises, the responsibility to enforce such regulations lies with the owners themselves.
“ICA is not operationally tenable to verify every person’s declared place of residence or check with premise owners whether they disallow individuals from living in commercial or industrial buildings,” the authority noted.
Failure to report a change of address or providing a false residential declaration carries significant penalties. Offenders may face a fine of up to S$5,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.
Earlier, alternative parties, including the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and the People’s Power Party (PPP), announced their intention to contest in Tampines Changkat SMC in the upcoming General Election, which is expected to be held in May.
The post ICA probes solo voter listed in unoccupied polling district of new Tampines Changkat SMC appeared first on The Online Citizen.
