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39 electors (0.36%) voted in the first hour of the Yuen Long District Council Shap Pat Heung North Constituency by-election which started at 7.30am today (June 26). (The voter turnout figures are only for temporary reference.)
Three polling stations are open until 10.30pm today for 10,846 registered electors in the constituency to cast their votes. They are located at the Buddhist Wing Yan School, 6 Fung Yau Street South, Yuen Long; Yuen Long Government Primary School, Yau Chuen Street, Au Tau, Yuen Long; and Chung Sing School, 29 Kau Hui Road, Yuen Long.
A dedicated polling station is set up at the Yuen Long Police Station, 246 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long for electors in the Shap Pat Heung North Constituency who are remanded or detained by law enforcement agencies other than the Correctional Services Department (CSD) to cast their votes. The polling hours are from 7.30am to 10.30pm.
For electors in the constituency who are imprisoned or remanded in the CSD's custody, they can cast their ballots at eight dedicated polling stations set up in their respective penal institutions. For security reasons, the polling hours are from 9am to 4pm.
The Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah and member Professor Andrew Chan Chi-fai, will inspect the polling stations this morning.
"Electors are advised to cast their votes as early as possible. Voting is very simple. It takes only a few minutes," a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office said.
"All electors need to do is to take their identity document to 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," he said.
The polling stations at the Buddhist Wing Yan School, Yuen Long Government Primary School and Chung Sing School will be turned into counting stations once the poll is closed. People are welcome to observe the counting of votes within the designated area in the counting stations.
To protect the secrecy of votes, after the close of poll, ballot boxes of the dedicated polling stations will be delivered to the main counting station at the Buddhist Wing Yan School for mixing with other ballot papers cast by other electors before counting.
Election results will be announced by the Returning Officer at the counting station at the Buddhist Wing Yan School.
An election hotline, 2891 1001, will be in service until 11pm to answer enquiries relating to the by-election.
A complaint hotline, 2827 7251, will also operate until 10.30pm to handle complaints about breaches of electoral rules and guidelines.
The two candidates contesting the by-election are Shum Ho-kit (No. 1), and Cheng Yin-ping (No. 2).
Ends/Sunday, June 26, 2011
Issued at HKT 08:56
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