52 electors (0.56 per cent) voted in the first hour of the Yuen Long District Council San Tin Constituency by-election which opened at 7.30am today (July 14). (The voter turnout figures are only for temporary reference.)

     Two polling stations, located at Tun Yu School, San Tin, Yuen Long, New Territories and St. Gavriel Kindergarten, 1 San Wai Tsuen, San Tin, Yuen Long, New Territories will remain open until 10.30pm today for 9 208 registered electors in the constituency to cast their votes.

     A dedicated polling station has been set up at Yuen Long Police Station, 246 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long, New Territories for electors in the San Tin 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 votes at five dedicated polling stations set up at 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, Commission members Mr Arthur Luk, SC, and Professor Fanny Cheung, will visit the polling station 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.

     "Electors must bring the original of their Hong Kong identity card or other specified alternative documents to the designated polling station to collect their ballot papers to cast votes. Voting is very simple. Electors must use the chop provided by the polling stations 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.

     Once the poll is closed, the polling stations at the Tun Yu School and St. Gavriel Kindergarten will be converted into counting stations. The public will be able to watch the vote counting 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 counting station at the Tun Yu School for opening after the close of polling. The ballot papers concerned will be mixed with the ballot papers cast at the Tun Yu School before counting.

     The election result will be announced at the counting station at the Tun Yu 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 or guidelines.

     The two candidates contesting San Tin Constituency by-election are Man Ka-koy (No. 1) and Man Ka-ho Donald (No. 2). 
 
   For the Shap Pat Heung West Constituency of the Yuen Long District Council, as there is only one validly nominated candidate, Leung Fuk-yuen, the candidate was declared by the Returning Officer on June 21 as being duly elected as an elected member for the above constituency at the by-election in accordance with section 39(1) of the District Councils Ordinance (Cap. 547). Registered electors in the Shap Pat Heung West Constituency do not have to vote today.

Ends/Sunday, July 14, 2019
Issued at HKT 8:55

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