EAC Chairman inspects polling stations of 2023 District Council Ordinary Election (with photos)
The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
The 2023 District Council Ordinary Election (DCOE) will be held tomorrow (December 10). The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), Mr Justice David Lok, and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, accompanied the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, to visit the District Council geographical constituency polling station at Ningnan Secondary School to inspect the set-up and on-site rehearsal this morning (December 9).
Mr Justice Lok said, "Arrangements for the elections are ready and electoral staff are in the final preparation and rehearsal, and will spare no efforts to discharge their duties to ensure a smooth and accurate conduct of the poll and count tomorrow."
He said, "More than 600 District Council geographical constituency (DCGC) polling stations will be set up to serve about 4.33 million electors for this election. A total of 18 District Committees constituency (DCC) polling stations will also be set up across the territory for about 2 500 DCC electors to cast their DCC votes."
EAC members Professor Daniel Shek and Mr Bernard Man, SC, also inspected different polling stations today to see for themselves the electoral preparation work, such that the poll and count tomorrow would be carried out smoothly.
Mr Justice Lok reminded DCC electors to cast their DCC and DCGC votes respectively at two polling stations. Polling hours for DCGCs will be from 8.30am to 10.30pm (14 hours in total) while those for DCCs will be from 8.30am to 2.30pm (six hours in total).
All electors should have received their poll card. Electors can log in to the Online Voter Information Enquiry System (vr.gov.hk) to check their electors' status and their allocated polling station if they have yet to receive their poll card. They can also call the hotline of the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) at 2891 1001 for enquiries. Electors are required to bring the original of their Hong Kong identity card to vote at the designated polling station tomorrow. Electors may vote only at the polling station allocated to them; and the polling station allocated to them in this election may be different from those in the past. Thus, electors should carefully read the name and address of the polling station on the poll card.
Mr Justice Lok and Mr Tsang, together with the two EAC members, Professor Daniel Shek and Mr Bernard Man, SC, then inspected the near boundary polling stations (NBPSs) set up at Hong Kong Taoist Association Tang Hin Memorial Secondary School and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Kap Yan Directors' College. Mr Justice Lok said, "To enable electors living on the Mainland or those who need to travel to and from the Mainland on the polling day to cast their votes, the REO will set up four NBPSs at two secondary schools in the vicinity of Sheung Shui MTR Station."
Electors who have successfully registered to vote at the NBPSs should have received the notification of registration result sent by the REO via SMS and/or email. They may ignore the polling station information on the poll card. The REO will arrange shuttle bus to carry electors to and from Sheung Shui MTR Station and the NBPSs tomorrow.
Mr Justice Lok extended his thanks to colleagues of the REO and other relevant bureaux/departments for their efforts and called on registered electors to fulfil their civic responsibility to vote tomorrow.
The REO has produced a set of TV and radio Announcements in the Public Intereston polling procedures which have been uploaded to the election website (www.elections.gov.hk) for electors' reference. For enquiries, members of the public may call the REO hotline on 2891 1001, or visit the election website for more information about this election.
