s 39 Admittance to polling station
39.—(1) Subject to subsection (1A) but without affecting section 7 (on plural voting), a person must not be admitted —(a) to an ordinary polling station to vote in person at an election in any electoral division unless the person is allotted under section 36A(1)(c) to that ordinary polling station; (b) to an overseas polling station to vote in person at an election in any electoral division unless the person —(i) is registered as an overseas elector for that electoral division; (ii) is not designated under section 13A(3A) as a postal voter for that election; and (iii) is allotted under section 13A(3A) to that overseas polling station; or (c) to a special polling station to vote in person at an election in any electoral division unless the person is allotted under section 47B(1) to that special polling station.[Act 8 of 2023 wef 14/06/2024] (1A) Where an elector for any electoral division is employed as a presiding officer, police officer, or in any other official capacity at an ordinary polling station or a special polling station, and it is inconvenient for him or her to vote at the ordinary polling station which has been allotted to him or her, the Returning Officer may, by a certificate under his or her hand, authorise the elector to vote at any other polling station, and that other polling station is deemed, for the purposes of this section, to be the polling station allotted to that elector.[Act 8 of 2023 wef 14/06/2024] (2) The certificate mentioned in subsection (1A) must be given under the hand of the Returning Officer and must state the following:(a) the name of the elector and the elector’s number and description in the register of electors; (b) the fact that the elector is so employed as mentioned in that subsection. (2A) [Deleted by Act 8 of 2023 wef 14/06/2024] (3) Unless the Returning Officer, by notification in the Gazette under this section, or under section 50C(3)(b), appoints any other hour, the poll in any electoral division must open at 8 a.m. on the day appointed under section 34 or 34A (as the case may be) and must close at 8 p.m. on that day.[41/2018] [Act 8 of 2023 wef 14/06/2024] (4) The presiding officer must —(a) keep order in his or her polling station; (b) regulate the number of voters to be admitted at a time; and (c) exclude all other persons except the candidates, the polling agents admitted to the polling station under this section, the Returning Officer and persons authorised in writing by the Returning Officer, the police officers on duty and other persons officially employed at the polling station.[41/2018] (5) The number of polling agents that may be admitted to a polling station for an electoral division must not exceed —(a) where the electoral division is a group representation constituency, the number calculated in the prescribed manner for the group of candidates contesting the election in the electoral division; and (b) in any other case, the number calculated in the prescribed manner for the candidate contesting the election in the electoral division.[41/2018] (5A) [Deleted by Act 41 of 2018] (6) A polling agent whose name has not been notified to the presiding officer as required by section 64(1) must not be admitted to a polling station. (7) If any person misconducts himself or herself in a polling station, or fails to obey the lawful orders of the presiding officer, that person may immediately, by order of the presiding officer, be removed from the polling station by any police officer in or near that station or by any other person authorised in writing by the presiding officer or by the Returning Officer to remove that person. (7A) The person removed under subsection (7) must not be allowed to enter the polling station again, except with the permission of the presiding officer. (7B) Any person removed under subsection (7), if charged with the commission in the polling station of any offence, may be kept in custody until he or she can be brought before a Magistrate. (8) The powers conferred by this section must not be exercised so as to prevent any elector who is otherwise entitled to vote at any polling station from having an opportunity of voting at that station.