ELD: TikTok ballot paper video risks public trust, voter education to be strengthened
Some TikTok and Douyin users filmed inside polling stations, including ballot papers on 3 May. ELD says while vote secrecy was not breached, such acts are irresponsible and can harm public trust. It will strengthen voter education and staff training to prevent future incidents.
The Elections Department (ELD) confirmed it is aware of a voter in Sengkang who filmed herself at a polling booth on 3 May, uploading the footage online. Several videos on TikTok and Douyin showed voters recording scenes inside polling stations, some even displaying ballot papers. ELD clarified that bringing or using any camera or video equipment in polling stations is prohibited. One TikTok user, ‘lifeplussg,’ posted a video from a Sengkang booth, showing an unmarked ballot paper and commenting in Mandarin that photos were not allowed, but she had filmed secretly. The video was filmed at an HDB void deck and has since been taken offline after the account was made private.
Is this legal? Woman filming her ballot paper inside polling station. byu/Ashamed-Ad-8018 insingaporeAccording to Stomp, other similar videos were posted but later deleted. ELD stated that after reviewing the footage, it found no compromise of vote secrecy but stressed that such behaviour risks damaging public trust. It announced plans to bolster voter education and improve election officials’ training to prevent future incidents.
