Man Relates a Day as A Polling Agent; Didn’t Get a Chance to Use HP Except During Lunch & Toilet Breaks

Polling Day was on 10 July 2020, and suffice it to say; it was an eventful day. As throngs and throngs of people headed into the respective areas to cast their votes, one question has floated to the surface:

What must it have been like for all the polling agents at the scene, considering the numerous human ‘”rains” charging in and out of the station?

Well, thankfully for us…

We can now find out without having to get a Polling Agent card.

Man Relates a Day as A Polling Agent; Didn’t Get a Chance to Use HP Except During Lunch & Toilet Breaks

Earlier today (12 July), Reddit user u/adrenaline_junkie88 posted a lengthy entry on the discussion website, describing his day as a polling agent and the little intricacies that went down on 10 July 2020.

According to the user, reporting time was early: at 7:30 a.m. And even then, the polling station has already been set up, with the respective SPF and election members already stationed at the venue.

After verifying his identity with the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) and the Senior Presiding Officer (SPO), he was given two things: a Polling Agent (PA) lanyard and a Polling Agent Re-Entry card.

And at 8:00 a.m., it began, when the first voter turned up.

Or rather, it was a few minutes before 8. As the user said, “Singaporeans are kiasu.”

At 8:00 a.m., the floodgates were opened. As per modus operandi, voters had to go through a temperature screening check, as well as hand sanitisation, before they were allowed entry. They were then directed to the registration counter, where they had to exhibit their NRIC / Poll card and show their face to the Presiding Officers (POs).

According to the user, the first two hours were catered to the older generation.

Routine wipe downs of common surfaces were also done from time to time.

Apparently, a number of interesting incidents also occurred during his day at “work'” too. One featured an elderly lady who was generally unresponsive and ended up dropping a blank vote after 20+ minutes. Another one revolved around a seemingly Autistic female who had a little trouble with the marking station. At this point, it has to be noted that to circumvent the general dryness that came with political stuff, the user inserted a number of humorous notions just to ‘spice things up’. One such example, for instance, is:

“ARO comes flying by, like Superman chasing Lex Luthor, one-shotting the mother into the sky!”

Which didn’t happen of course, but it did go down well with my apolitical palette. But I’m digressing.

In addition to the aforementioned incidents, the user also spoke of a “tense” encounter with his own father, a “heartfelt reunion” with his neighbours, an auntie who called out to her “departed” husband and an older gentleman who mistakenly assumed that he had been shunned. All in all…

It was certainly an eventful day.

Follow us on Telegram for more informative & easy-to-read articles, or download the Goody Feed app for articles you can’t find on Facebook!

But not everything was smooth-sailing. Later on at night, the user received the news that the polling station was set to stay till 10:00 p.m.

Something that didn’t agree with his exponentially struggling bladder.

Nevertheless, he persevered as he was the only Polling Agent left (the other elderly PA have already returned). And thankfully, a golden shower did not happen.

Handphone usage was also incredibly limited. According to the user, he only managed to use his mobile device during lunchtime, as well as one or two toilet breaks. Speaks volumes about how busy the day must have been.

At 10pm, they proceeded to pack everything. By the time they boarded the bus and reached the counting station, it was 10:30pm. The box was passed to the counting officials, and the user swiped the Polling Agent card, as well as his PA Re-Entry card, to end the day.

Yet, despite everything that has gone on, he still found the energy to sit through a significant part of the eventual CNA broadcast.

“This was an interesting day, and the night was just beginning for the Counting Officials / Counting Agents, as well as Yam Ah Mee’s successor,” he wrote. “I would follow the CNA broadcast till sometime after the confirmed results of Sengkang and Aljunied. Seeing Jamus speech made the long day worth it. Kumsia ~Sengkang~ Singapore.”

Well, this has certainly been a hell of a day for this Reddit polling agent.

Though from the looks of it, it seems that he has, at least, had a fruitful experience from it all.

You can read the full post here.

And on a side note, politicians have been talking about NCMP (Non-Constituency Member of Parliament) in recent days. So, what’s an NCMP? Do you know that it’s just like an MP but the allowance is much lower? Watch this video to find out more: