GE2025: ELD issues campaigning guidelines, dates for party political broadcasts

ONLINE CAMPAIGNING 

Singaporeans are allowed to put up unpaid online election advertising, except from the start of Cooling-off Day until the end of polling, said ELD. Cooling-off Day falls on May 2.

Online election advertising refers to any material published online or in public chat messaging groups that can reasonably be regarded as intended to promote or prejudice the electoral success or standing of a political party or candidate.

Republishing existing content is also considered to be publishing new online election advertising and is prohibited during this period, said ELD. 

This includes sharing, resharing, reposting or boosting existing content.

Publishing digitally generated or manipulated online content that misrepresents a nominated candidate’s speech or actions is prohibited.

Only political parties, candidates and their election agents can put up paid online election advertising, added the department.

Anyone else can only publish such content if they receive written authorisation from a candidate or election agent from Nomination Day.

All paid online election advertising must be declared to Mr Han Kok Juan, the returning officer of the vote, and adhere to published-by requirements. 

“This ensures accountability and prevents the use of paid advertisements as a conduit for foreign interference in the election process, or to bypass the election expense limits for candidates,” said ELD. 

Under the published-by requirements, the full names of everyone involved in putting out the content – the person who published it, the one who approved the content and the person who directed its publication – must be displayed clearly in the post. This applies to paid and unpaid content. 

Paid online election advertising must also include a message or statement indicating that it has been sponsored or paid for, and the full names of those who paid for it.

Singaporeans who are not candidates or election agents are exempted from the published-by requirements if they post unpaid online election advertising in their individual capacity, and not at the direction of others, said ELD. 

Foreigners are not allowed to publish or display any election advertising during the election period. 

ELECTION SURVEYS AND EXIT POLLS 

Election surveys and exit polls cannot be published until after Polling Day. 

An exit poll is any statement on how voters voted or a forecast on the results, made based on information from voters after they cast their vote. 

An election survey is an opinion survey on how voters will vote, their preferences concerning any candidate or any issue with which an identifiable candidate is associated at an election.

This encompasses polls on social media platforms, online forums, messaging services and websites, said ELD.

Reposting the results of an election survey is also not allowed, it added.