Elections are different things in different places. In Singapore, one may think of them as a People's Action Party (PAP) satisfaction poll. Due to the historical absence of a comparable alternative party, elections in Singapore are less the means by which citizens decide which party will govern their nation than a survey in which people indicate how happy they are with the way the PAP has been governing. Votes for opposition parties are widely referred to in both popular and official discourse as ‘protest votes’ against the PAP. Indeed, it is so generally assumed that the PAP will and should form each successive parliament that the alternative possibility – of ‘protest votes’ outnumbering votes in support of the PAP – is commonly referred to as the possibility of a ‘freak result’.

The 2011 General Election (GE) almost ended in a freak result, when PAP satisfaction ratings hit a record low of 60.1 percent (Tan and Lee 2011). The most recent GE in 2015, however, saw the index leap back up to 69.9 percent. This result came as a surprise to many. PAP candidates said the outcome was better than they had even dared to hope. On the other side, many opposition candidates said that the warmth and encouragement they received from residents had led them to expect a greater share of votes. Whether elated or dismayed, all parties were left asking: What caused this unexpected ‘swing’ towards the PAP? Why was there such a marked discrepancy between the atmosphere ‘on the ground’ and the result that showed up on paper? More broadly, what insights might GE 2015 offer into the apparent paradox of Singapore's popular authoritarian state?