Elections are expensive, not just for the candidates and political parties, but also for the taxpayer. I asked a Parliamentary question on 9 May 2022 to obtain the breakdown of the amount spent organising and running each of the last three General Elections (GEs). Responding on behalf of the Prime Minister, Minister Chan Chun Sing revealed that the Election Department’s expenditure for the GEs increased from $13.5 million in 2011 to $30.3 million in 2020. This likely excludes the additional spending on security, which would be under the Ministry of Home Affairs’ budget.
In Singapore, elections are required by law to be held approximately once every five years, but can be called much earlier if the incumbent PM so chooses. This may confer an advantage on the incumbent, who can call elections when the ground is “sweet” for his or her own party. Be that as it may, an incumbent PM will do well to have an eye on the costs of organising and running an election, should he or she decide to call early elections.
Here is the full answer to my PQ:
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Prime Minister how much is the Government’s spending on organising and running the General Elections in 2011, 2015 and 2020 respectively, including but not limited to the cost of manpower, security, publicity and materials.
Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): The expenditures incurred by the Elections Department (ELD) for the 2011, 2015 and 2020 General Elections were $13.5 million, $23.2 million and $30.3 million respectively.
Across elections, expenditure will fluctuate depending on manpower, info-communications technology, transport, and other logistical needs. For example, GE2015 was fully contested unlike GE2011, and more election officials were deployed. Higher logistics costs were also incurred as election equipment such as polling booths and counting tables were due for replacement. In GE2020, which was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, almost $8 million were spent on safe management measures.
Source: Parliament Hansard
