*******************************************************
The poll for the Southern District Council Pokfulam constituency by-election will be held tomorrow (September 5).
Three polling stations will be open to electors to cast their votes from 7.30am to 10.30pm. They are located at the Caritas Wu Cheng-chung Secondary School, 8 Northcote Close, Pokfulam; the playground of Upper Baguio Villa, Baguio Villa, 555 Victoria Road, Pokfulam; and the Cyberport Post Office, Shops 5-8, Level 1, Service Annex, Cyberport, 100 Cyberport Road.
"Arrangements will be made to facilitate remanded and detained persons, who are registered electors of Pokfulam constituency, to cast their votes in the by-election," a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office said today (September 4).
Arrangements will be made for electors of Pokfulam constituency who are remanded or detained by law enforcement agencies other than the Correctional Services Department (CSD), and who have expressed their wish to vote in the by-election, to cast their votes at the dedicated polling station located at the Happy Valley Police Station, 60 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley. The polling hours will be from 7.30am to 10.30pm tomorrow.
As there are no electors in the constituency who are imprisoned or remanded in the CSD”¦s custody, the reserve dedicated polling stations in penal institutions will not open.
"Voting is very simple. It will take just a few minutes for electors to vote,"the spokesman said.
"All electors need to do is to show their identity document at the polling station, use the chop provided 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.
"The voting procedure for electors and the venue set up at the dedicated polling station is basically the same as that of the ordinary polling stations," he said.
The spokesman reminded people that in accordance with the law, the polling stations are restricted areas accessible only to electors and authorised people.
Unauthorised people are strictly prohibited from using mobile phones, taking photographs, filming or making video or audio recordings in the polling stations.
An election hotline, 2891 1001, will be in service from 7am to 11pm tomorrow to answer enquiries relating to the by-election.
A complaints hotline, 2827 7251, will also operate during the polling hours (from 7.30am to 10.30pm tomorrow) to handle complaints about breaches of electoral rules and guidelines.
Once the poll is closed, the polling stations at the Caritas Wu Cheng-chung Secondary School, the playground of Upper Baguio Villa and the Cyberport Post Office will be turned into counting stations. People are welcome to observe the counting of votes within the designated area in the counting stations.
Ballot boxes of the dedicated polling station will be delivered to the main counting station at the Caritas Wu Cheng-chung Secondary School after the close of poll for counting.
"The Returning Officer will announce the election results at the counting station at the Caritas Wu Cheng-chung Secondary School," the spokesman said.
The two candidates contesting the by-election are: No. 1, Lau Ying-tung, and No. 2, Paulus Johannes Zimmerman.
The elected candidate will fill a vacant seat in the Southern District Council.
Ends/Saturday, September 4, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:46
NNNN
