What is the Role of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC)?

As Singapore gears up for each general election, most Singaporeans would be aware of the electoral division or boundary (also called constituency) that they belong to, as they prepare to head to the polls to cast their votes. However, have you ever wondered who decides which part of Singapore you are required to vote in or why your constituency seems to change every few years?

In Singapore, the electoral boundaries are redrawn from time to time for the purposes of general and presidential elections. This is the job of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), a less commonly known but vital figure influencing the country’s political landscape.

This article will discuss in further detail what the EBRC is, what it does and how it impacts the voting process in Singapore. It will cover:

• What is the EBRC?
• Who sits in the EBRC?
• How does Singapore’s EBRC system compare to other political systems in democratic countries?
• How does the EBRC function?
• How does the EBRC determine electoral boundaries?

What is the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC)?

The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) is a government-appointed body convened by the Prime Minister’s Office ahead of each general election. The EBRC’s main task is to review and recommend how electoral divisions (i.e. constituencies) should be drawn in the lead-up to each general election.

There are 2 types of electoral divisions in Singapore:

1. Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs); and
2. Single Member Constituencies (SMCs).

An SMC is an electoral division that has a single Member of Parliament (MP) representing the interests of those residents in the electoral division. A GRC is a larger electoral division, both in terms of population as well as physical area. A group of Members of Parliament (MPs) represents the interests of those residents in the electoral division.

The EBRC is typically in charge of making the following recommendations:

• The number of electoral divisions
• The boundaries of each electoral division – the geographical area within Singapore demarcated for the purposes of elections, delineating where one constituency ends and another begins.
• The number of GRCs and SMCs

As can be seen, the work of the EBRC directly influences which group of voters fall into which constituencies and, in turn, which MPs they can vote for, and by extension, how diverse and representative the elected parliament can be. This is especially significant in Singapore’s GRC system, where teams of candidates contest in multi-member constituencies. For example, there were 33 electoral divisions in the 2025 General Elections – consisting of 18 GRCs and 15 SMCs – and 97 elected seats for Parliament, as illustrated in this electoral map.

Who Sits in the EBRC?

The EBRC is not a permanent body created by legislation, but is typically convened or ‘activated’ at the Prime Minister’s discretion several months before a general election is expected. The government is not required to announce when the EBRC is formed, and has on past occasions announced its formation months afterwards.

The EBRC is usually made up of five senior civil servants, appointed by the Prime Minister, who are experts in these technical areas:

• Secretary to Prime Minister (Chairperson)
• Chief Executive Officer, Housing & Development Board (Member)
• Chief Executive, Singapore Land Authority (Member)
• Chief Statistician, Department of Statistics (Member)
• Head, Elections Department (Secretary)

It is chaired by the Cabinet secretary, who heads the office that offers administrative support to the Cabinet. As the formation of the EBRC is not dictated by any specific law or regulation, its make-up and technical areas can change with each general election. Once the work of the EBRC is completed, the committee dissolves.

How Does Singapore’s EBRC System Compare to Other Political Systems in Democratic Countries? 

The EBRC is one of the several committees established by the Singapore parliament exclusively for the purposes of an upcoming election. However, it is not unique in nature. Similar committees have also been established in other democratic countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For instance, the Australian Electoral Commission maintains an impartial and independent electoral system for eligible voters through active electoral roll management and efficient delivery of polling services. In New Zealand, there are separate Maori electorates overlaying the General electorates to ensure adequate Maori representation, with the number determined by Maori enrollment. This is similar to the GRC system in Singapore, to ensure minority representation.

Having said, there are some nuances between these systems. For example, the United Kingdom has independent boundary commissions for each region, and Canada also has non-partisan electoral commissions that redraw district lines using clear, legal criteria. Specifically, this requires the Chief Electoral Officer to apply the representation formula set out in the Canadian Constitution to recalculate how many MPs are needed to be assigned to each province. The key difference is that many of these electoral committees are independent from the executive branch of parliament and are guided by formal legislation, unlike the EBRC in Singapore. Compared to the United Kingdom and New Zealand,, the public is also not privy to the EBRC’s deliberations – only the final recommendations are made public.

How Does the EBRC Function?

When the EBRC is convened, the Prime Minister will set out the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the committee to consider when conducting their review. As an example, the TOR for the 2025 general elections were as follows:

• To review the boundaries of the present electoral divisions, and to recommend the number and boundaries of Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) based on the number of electors found in the latest Registers of Electors. The Committee should take into consideration significant changes in the number of electors in the current electoral divisions as a result of population shifts and housing developments.

• In determining the number and size of GRCs and SMCs, the Committee should seek to keep the average size of GRCs, the proportion of Members of Parliament (MPs) elected from SMCs, and the average ratio of electors to elected MPs, all at about the same as that in the last General Election.

It should be noted that the TOR are phrased differently for each general election, although they typically maintain the key parameters of having smaller GRCs and more SMCs. When the EBRC has completed its review, it releases a report outlining the proposed new boundaries supported by the recommendations. The EBRC does not have a set deadline to complete its review, but past committees have taken between three weeks and almost seven and a half months before issuing its report. The report will also state the total number of contested seats, both in SMCs and GRCs across the island.

This report is then presented as a White Paper to the Prime Minister and released to the public shortly afterwards. There is no need for Parliamentary approval or public consultation, and the new boundaries take effect immediately once the report is published. After the report is released, a polling date will be fixed, although there is no fixed timeline between the release of the EBRC report and the announcement of the election. In the past five elections, the EBRC has taken from two to seven months to release its report, with Polling Day happening about half a month to four months afterwards.

How Does the EBRC Determine Electoral Boundaries?

While the exact methodology that the EBRC uses in its review is not publicly disclosed, the Elections Department has reported that the EBRC typically takes into account several key factors such as:

• Population Size: Considering any changes in population shifts and new housing developments, and whether these have caused significant changes to the number of electors in the current electoral divisions.
• GRC Representation: Ensuring each constituency has a roughly equal number of voters and a balanced representation, especially in the GRC system, which requires minority representation in teams. For instance, GRCs can have three to six MPs but at least one of them must be from a minority race. Moreover, the number of GRCs with a Malay MP must be three-fifths of the total number of GRCs.
• Electoral Dynamics: Changes in boundaries can affect the electoral chances of both ruling and opposition parties. For example, dissolving a constituency where an opposition party has been gaining ground can potentially impact that party’s electoral prospects.
• Continuity of Communities: Frequent electoral boundary changes can make it challenging for voters to build long-term relationships with their representatives and for opposition parties to build support bases.
• Practical and Administrative Efficiency: Considering physical aspects such as geography, existing town planning and accessibility and the number of polling stations, how efficiently votes are counted in each constituency and ensuring the smooth operation of the electoral process.

These factors are meant to balance efficiency, representation and a fair distribution of voters across constituencies. Although the EBRC does not analyse the results of past elections or profile of voters when delineating the new boundaries, it is directed to keep the average size of GRCs, the proportion of MPs elected from SMCs, and the average ratio of electors to elected MPs, all at about the same as that in the last General Election.

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As this article discusses, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee plays an underrated but significant role in shaping Singapore’s political landscape in the context of a general election.

If you wish to check which constituency you are in or learn more about voting in Singapore, you can visit the Elections Department’s website or read our other election-related articles for more information.