********************************************************
One hundred and fifteen electors (1.33 per cent) voted in the first hour of the Tai Po District Council San Fu Constituency by-election which opened at 7.30am today (July 19). (The voter turnout figures are only for temporary reference.)
Two polling stations will remain open until 10.30pm today for 8 649 registered electors in the constituency to cast their votes. They are located at Law Ting Pong Secondary School, 8 Ma Chung Road, Tai Po, New Territories, and Norwegian International School, 170 Kam Shan Road, Tai Po, New Territories.
A dedicated polling station has been set up at Sheung Shui Divisional Police Station, 8 Sha Tau Kok Road, Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling, New Territories for electors in the San Fu 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.
Electors in the constituency who are imprisoned or remanded in the CSD's custody can cast their ballots at three dedicated polling stations set up in their respective penal institutions. For security reasons, the polling hours are from 9am to 4pm.
The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah and EAC member Mr Arthur Luk Yee-shun, 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 stations at Law Ting Pong Secondary School and Norwegian International 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 at the counting stations.
To protect the secrecy of votes, the ballot boxes at the dedicated polling stations will be delivered to the main counting station at Law Ting Pong Secondary School 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 Law Ting Pong Secondary School.
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 Ho Man-kit (No. 1), Lo Hiu-fung (No. 2) and Kwok Wing-kin (No. 3).
Ends/Sunday, July 19, 2015
Issued at HKT 08:57
NNNN
