Polling day diary

I hear that the civil society group MARUAH is doing a polling day survey to ask Singaporeans whether they felt the polling process to be fair and secure. Voting overseas, though, I've already cast my ballot paper six and a half hours ago, and there's still three more hours before polling opens in Singapore. What was it like? Quite uneventful, actually!

From Boston, I took the bus down yesterday and used the opportunity to meet up with some friends. I stayed overnight with my friend Adi who lives in Brooklyn (that's him on the left)

In the morning I woke up bright and early and we took the subway down. Many of the subway stations outside Manhattan are ground-level and open to the air. Also in need of a new coat of paint...

He got off at his workplace, and I continued down to Manhattan. Along the way had to make a transfer at 14th St Union Square. I like the industrial feel that the girders give the place.

Finally reached 51st St station, got out into the sun and it was a beautiful day outside! Warm, but not hot, sunny, the trees finally turning green, people walking around without being swaddled up in ten layers of wool....

I kept walking and soon found the right street. A bit more and the familiar colors were peeking out between the springtime foliage.

At the polling station I couldn't take any pictures, of course. The process was really swift. I was ushered through a simple metal detector, and then they checked my polling letter and NRIC. I left my jacket and backpack at the coat room, and walked upstairs to a carpeted conference room. Before and after me there were maybe two or three people, but there was no queue and everything was very quick. The staff checked my IC and particulars again, then crossed my name off the register. They gave me a ballot paper, and I asked one of them "so are there are lot of people voting here today?"

"Quite a few," she replied, though she didn't give a number. From the size of the list she had, perhaps a thousand or so could have been registered.

There were three little booths made of cardboard, and in front of it the ballot box, also made of cardboard, sealed except for a slot on top. I crossed the appropriate box, folded it in two, and dropped it into the box. Done!

Walked downstairs, got my jacket and bag, and then went back into the sunshine.

Strolled over to Times Square, and got on the next bus back to Boston. Exam tomorrow, must study!