The 2019 District Council Ordinary Election will be held tomorrow (November 24). The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) reminds electors to bring the original of their Hong Kong identity card to the designated polling station to vote.
"Electors must bring the original of their Hong Kong identity card or other specified alternative documents to the designated polling station to collect their ballot papers to cast their votes. Voting is very simple. Electors must use the chop provided by the polling station to stamp the ballot paper with a tick in the circle opposite the name of the chosen candidate, and fold the ballot paper inward in half before putting it into the ballot box," a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office said today (November 23).
Over 610 ordinary polling stations and 23 dedicated polling stations will be open on the polling day. The polling hours for the ordinary polling stations and the three dedicated polling stations set up at police stations will be from 7.30am to 10.30pm. For the dedicated polling stations set up at penal institutions, for security reasons, the polling hours will be from 9am to 4pm.
The voting procedure for electors and the venue setup at the dedicated polling stations will be basically the same as those of the ordinary polling station.
The spokesman reminded the public that according to the law, the polling stations are restricted areas accessible only by electors and authorised persons.
"Unauthorised persons are strictly prohibited from using mobile phones or any other device for electronic communication, taking photographs, filming, and making video or audio recordings at the polling stations," he said.
"An no canvassing zone will be designated outside each polling station to ensure that electors can gain access to the polling station without interference. In addition, an no staying zone, in which no one is allowed to stay or loiter, will also be designated immediately outside the entrance or exit of a polling station to avoid any obstruction of the entry or exit."
It is an offence for any person to disturb others, disrupt the poll or misbehave in the polling station. According to the Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (District Councils) Regulation (Chapter 541F), a person who on the polling day fails to comply with a lawful order given by the Returning Officer or the Presiding Officer or behaves in a disorderly manner in a no canvassing zone, no staying zone, polling station, counting station or related areas, commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $5,000 and imprisonment of up to three months.
Enquiries about the by-election can be made to the election hotline at 2891 1001, which will operate from 7am to 11pm tomorrow.
A complaints hotline (2827 7251) will be in service from 7.30am to 11pm tomorrow to handle complaints about breaches of electoral rules or guidelines.
Once the poll closes, most ordinary polling stations will be converted into counting stations for counting of votes. The counting stations will be open to the public once the conversion has been completed. Members of the public will be able to watch the counting process at designated areas inside the counting stations.
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