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One hundred and twenty five electors (3.36 per cent) voted in the first hour of the Islands District Council Peng Chau and Hei Ling Chau Constituency by-election which opened at 7.30am today (September 7). (The voter turnout figures are only for temporary reference.)
The polling station will remain open until 10.30pm today for 3 722 registered electors in the constituency to cast their votes. It is located at Peng Chau Sports Centre, Peng Chau Municipal Services Building, 6 Po Peng Street, Peng Chau, New Territories.
A dedicated polling station has been set up at the Marine South Division of the Hong Kong Police Force, 28 Shum Wan Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong for electors in the Peng Chau and Hei Ling Chau 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.
As no elector of the Peng Chau and Hei Ling Chau Constituency is imprisoned or remanded in the CSD's custody, there is no need to set up dedicated polling stations in penal institutions in the by-election.
The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah and EAC member Mr Lawrence Lok Ying-kam, SC, will inspect the polling stations this morning.
"Electors are advised to cast their votes as early as possible and read carefully the address of the designated polling station on their poll cards indicating where they should cast their votes," a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office said.
"Voting is very simple and it takes just a few minutes. All electors need to do is to take their identity document to the polling station where they will be issued a ballot paper, 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 station at Peng Chau Sports Centre will be turned into counting station once the poll is closed. People are welcome to observe the counting of votes within the designated area at the counting station.
To protect the secrecy of votes, the ballot boxes at the dedicated polling station will be delivered to the main counting station at Peng Chau Sports Centre for opening after the poll closes. The ballot papers concerned will be mixed with the ballot papers cast at the main counting station before counting.
Election results will be declared by the Returning Officer at the counting station at Peng Chau Sports Centre.
An election hotline, 2891 1001, is in service until 11pm to answer enquiries relating to the by-election.
A complaints hotline, 2827 7251, is also in operation until 11pm to handle complaints about breaches of electoral rules and guidelines.
The three candidates contesting the by-election are Chan Chi-lin (No. 1), Tsang Sau-ho Josephine (No. 2) and Wong Chi-lam (No. 3).
Ends/Sunday, September 7, 2014
Issued at HKT 08:48
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