Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections poll cards sent to voters/authorised representatives
The 2021 Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections will be held on September 19 (Sunday). The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) has mailed poll cards to about 4 800 registered voters/authorised representatives (ARs) in the contested subsectors to inform them of where they should cast their votes on polling day.
"Voters/ARs may only cast their votes at the designated polling station as specified on their poll card. Voters/ARs can log in to the Online Voter Information Enquiry System (www.voterinfo.gov.hk) if they have not yet received their poll card to check whether they are registered voters/ARs and their designated polling station. They can also call the election hotline 2891 1001 for enquiries," a spokesman for the REO said today (September 14).
In addition to the poll card, the election mail sent to voters/ARs by the REO also includes a map indicating the location of the designated polling station, a leaflet on the voting procedures, an introduction booklet on candidates in the respective subsector and a clean elections leaflet by the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
"Voters/ARs must carry the original of their Hong Kong identity card or other specified alternative documents to the designated polling station to collect their ballot paper(s) to cast their votes," the spokesman said.
"The REO has produced a short video on the polling procedures and preventive measures for COVID-19 to be implemented in the polling stations. The video has been uploaded to the websites of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) (www.eac.hk), the REO (www.reo.gov.hk) and the election website (www.elections.gov.hk) for reference," the spokesman added.
A total of 412 candidates will contest 364 seats in the following 13 subsectors: commercial (third); financial services; insurance; architectural, surveying, planning and landscape; Chinese medicine; education; legal; medical and health services; social welfare; technology and innovation; labour; representatives of members of Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, and District Fire Safety Committees of Hong Kong and Kowloon; and representatives of members of Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, and District Fire Safety Committees of the New Territories.
Out of the 1 500 seats of the Election Committee, 325 persons were determined to be validly registered as ex-officio members and 156 persons were validly nominated to be members of the Election Committee.
In addition, a total of 603 candidates in 23 subsectors have been returned uncontested. The REO has also sent to more than 2 700 registered voters/ARs in these uncontested subsectors a notice of uncontested election notifying them that no voting is required and an introduction booklet on the elected candidates in their respective subsector.
A total of five ordinary polling stations will open on polling day. All the ordinary polling stations are accessible to voters/ARs with mobility difficulty or those who use wheelchairs. The ordinary polling stations and the dedicated polling station set up at a police station will be open from 9am to 6pm.
Meanwhile, the EAC encourages candidates to provide a text version of their introduction to enable voters/ARs with visual impairment to understand the content using software aids. The text versions provided by candidates have been uploaded to the election website (www.elections.gov.hk). Voters/ARs with visual impairment may also listen to the candidates' introductions by calling the dedicated 24-hour Interactive Voice Response System (2893 3762). Braille templates will be provided at polling stations to assist voters/ARs with visual impairment to vote.
To help voters/ARs who are not familiar with Chinese and English cast their votes, guides on the voting procedure in 10 other languages (Japanese, Korean, Bahasa Indonesia, Nepali, Thai, Hindi, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu and Punjabi) will be available at every polling station. Information on the election in these languages has also been uploaded to the election website.
The REO has also made arrangements with the Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents run by the Hong Kong Christian Service to provide a telephone simultaneous interpretation service with eight languages (Bahasa Indonesia, Nepali, Thai, Hindi, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu and Punjabi) to voters/ARs concerned on election matters from September 6 to 10 and from September 13 to polling day.
A pictorial guide showing the voting procedure will also be provided at polling stations to help voters/ARs with hearing or communication problems and voters/ARs who are not familiar with Chinese and English to understand the voting procedure. The pictorial guide showing the voting procedure has been uploaded to the election website (www.elections.gov.hk).
Information about the election is available on the election website (www.elections.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the election hotline (2891 1001).