What happens on Nomination Day
All eyes will be on the nine designated places from 10am on Tuesday (Sept 1) morning.
The reason? Nomination Day – the official starting point of the campaign trail for the political candidates who will contest the General Election on Sept 11.
Within the span of an hour, potential candidates must ensure their paperwork is in order before they are allowed to stand for election.
Here's a breakdown of what happens during Nomination Day.
1) Before 10am: Final checks
Even before the nine nomination centres open their doors at 10am, potential candidates and their supporters will meet up to run through their paperwork one last time.
Larger political parties will usually meet up at their branch offices or party headquarters while smaller parties and independent candidates might meet outside their nomination centres.
2) 10am: Doors open
Potential candidates will begin arriving at their respective nomination centres as the countdown to the crucial hour starts.
Outside, supporters of the various parties will start to assemble to cheer on their candidates.
Police have advised that poeple only start arriving at the nomination centres after 10am.
3) 11am: Crunch time
It's make or break time for the potential candidates, who must complete their forms and file them by noon.
While it sounds simple, nothing must be out of place on the forms in order to meet strict administrative standards.
Candidates must have a complete set of nomination forms as well as a duplicate submitted in person. The papers include the nomination form, the political donation form and, for those contesting in a GRC, the certificate issued either by the Malay Community Committee or the Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee.
Each candidate must have with them in person a proposer, a seconder and a minimum of four assentors – who must all be registered voters from the constituency that the candidate is planning to contest in.
They must also pay the $14,500 election deposit in either cash, bank draft or cheque.
This is when the stakes are highest – the smallest of mistakes can cost a candidate his or her chance to stand.
One particularly costly example came in 2001 when the Workers' Party's Aljunied GRC team failed to fill in the name of the constituency they were contesting in, causing them to be disqualified.
4) Between 11am and 12.30pm: Checks, corrections and announcements
As forms are filled out and put up, candidates and their entourages can inspect their rivals' nomination papers and raise any objections about them in writing until 12.30pm.
These errors and those flagged by the Elections Department must be corrected before noon.
Walkovers are declared by the assistant returning officers if there is no contest for a constituency while candidates involved in a contest will have their names placed on a notice board.
5) After the filing: The campaign trail starts
Once their paperwork is settled, approved candidates are free to begin their campaigning, usually with a thank you speech to their supporters gathered at the nomination centre.
They can start applying for permits for indoor and outdoor rallies as well as vehicle processions in their contested constituencies.
The list of locations where outdoor rallies can be held will also be released.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now