If you are on the lookout for your next home, you might also want to consider the electoral division as well. That’s because depending on where your next property is located, you might fall under a different GRC or SMC.
What are Single Member Constituencies (SMCs)?
Single Member Constituencies, or SMCs, are electoral divisions where there is a single Member of Parliament (MP) that represents the interests of the residents in the electoral division. According to the Parliamentary Elections Act, every general election (GE) needs to have at least eight SMCs.
Based on the latest GE2020 electoral map, there are a total of 14 SMCs:
- Bukit Batok SMC
- Bukit Panjang SMC
- Hougang SMC
- Hong Kah North SMC
- Kebun Baru SMC
- Mountbatten SMC
- MacPherson SMC
- Marymount SMC
- Pioneer SMC
- Potong Pasir SMC
- Punggol West SMC
- Radin Mas SMC
- Yio Chu Kang SMC
- Yuhua SMC
What are Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs)?
Group Representation Constituencies, or GRCs, are larger electoral divisions, both in terms of population as well as physical area. Each GRC can consist of any number of MPs between three to six. This group of MPs will represent the interests of the residents in the electoral division. It is also mandated by law that each GRC needs to have at least one MP in the minority racial community: Either Malay, Indian or other minority community.
To ensure that minority racial communities in Singapore will always be represented in Parliament, at least one quarter of the total number of MPs need to be representatives from GRCs under the Parliamentary Elections Act.
Based on the latest GE2020 electoral map, there are a total of 17 GRCs:
- Aljunied GRC
- Ang Mo Kio GRC
- Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
- Choa Chu Kang GRC
- East Coast GRC
- Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
- Jalan Besar GRC
- Jurong GRC
- Marine Parade GRC
- Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC
- Nee Soon GRC
- Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC
- Sembawang GRC
- Sengkang GRC
- Tampines GRC
- Tanjong Pagar GRC
- West Coast GRC
Which GRC or SMC is your Home in?
To find out which GRC or SMC that you live in, all you need is your postal code. Simply visit Elections Department Singapore (ELD) Electoral Division Enquiry website and key in your postal code.
Source: ELD
The GRC or SMC that you belong to will be shown at the bottom of the website. It will also indicate whether there has been a change in electoral division for you since the last GE.
Alternatively, you can also check for your electoral division through OneMaps. Just like the Electoral Division Enquiry website, you just need to type in your postal address.
Source: OneMap
Thinking of moving to where your favourite MP is serving? Find your next home using PropertyGuru’s map view.
How was the GE2020 Electoral Division Map of GRCs and SMCs decided?
Before every GE, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee is appointed to review the electoral boundaries. The electoral boundaries need to account for the number of electors in the latest Registers of Electors.
Based on GE2015’s 89 elected MPs, the ratio of MP to resident is about 1:29,200. As with the approach taken by previous Committees, the Committee worked with a range of 20,000 to 38,000 electors per MP.
For GE2020, the guiding principle for determining the electoral divisions is based on the following table:
|
Type of constituency |
No. of electors |
|
SMC |
From 20,000 to 38,000 |
|
GRC with 3 MPs |
From 60,000 to 114,000 |
|
GRC with 4 MPs |
From 80,000 to 152,000 |
|
GRC with 5 MPs |
From 100,000 to 190,000 |
|
GRC with 6 MPs |
From 120,000 to 228,000 |
Source: ELD
Using the guiding principle, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee drew up the 17 GRCs and 14 SMCs for GE2020 and increased the number of MPs to 93. The electoral divisions are then recommended to the Prime Minister in the Report of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee for his approval.
What Happened in GE2020
In the recent GE2020, there were a couple of GRCs that saw very close fights between the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) and the opposition. For some GRCs, it was the closest that the opposition had ever came to challenging the PAP. For others, it was the first (or third) time that the opposition won the GRC.
Aljunied GRC
Aljunied GRC was the first ever GRC in Singapore politics to be won by the opposition. While it was a very close call in GE2015, GE2020 saw the Workers’ Party (WP) team edge out its PAP counterparts with 59.95% of the votes.
Sengkang GRC
Following Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC was the second GRC to be won by the opposition. It was also the first time in history that the incumbent PAP lost two GRCs in a single GE. WP’s victory at Sengkang GRC also saw Pritam Singh from WP being formally appointed as the Leader of the Opposition (LO).
East Coast GRC
East Coast GRC was another hotly contested GRC. All eyes were on WP’s Nicole Seah who wowed Singaporeans in GE2010 and Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Heng Swee Keat who joined East Coast GRC from Tampines GRC to hold the fort. In the end, the incumbent PAP team prevailed with 53.39% of the votes against WP.
West Coast GRC
West Coast GRC saw its former PAP MP Dr Tan Cheng Bock go up against his old party PAP under Progress Singapore Party (PSP). The contest for West Coast GRC was fiercely contested with PAP fielding two full ministers (Desmond Lee and S Iswaran) against Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s team.
The results were very close and almost saw PAP lose another GRC to the opposition. But PAP eventually won with 51.68% of the votes. For Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s team, they managed to secure two Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seats based on their good showing in West Coast GRC.
Does your SMC or GRC matter when buying property?
That depends on your personal preference. For those with a particular political inclination or a particular MP that you like, you may want to check out which GRC or SMC you fall under before committing to your next property. For others that do not have any preference, you have one less factor to have a headache over when choosing your next home.
For more property news, resources and useful content like this article, check out PropertyGuru’s guides section.
Are you looking to buy a new home? Head to PropertyGuru to browse the top properties for sale in Singapore.
Already found a new home? Let PropertyGuru Finance’s home finance advisors help you with financing it.
