To ensure the smooth operation of the entire city on the polling day of the Legislative Council (LegCo) General Election, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) today (November 14) issued a direction to Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments to establish a dedicated "Polling Day Coordination and Support Centre" in the departments under their purview on December 7 and make flexible deployments of additional manpower on the polling day. This includes arranging for civil servants who are normally scheduled to rest on Sundays to be on duty on the polling day, having regard to operational needs of the departments, to give full support to the work of the LegCo Election. They also have to take all possible measures to enable civil servants who are on duty on the polling day to cast their votes.

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "The LegCo is an important component of the political structure of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Ensuring the success of the eighth LegCo General Election is an important task for the HKSAR Government and all government departments have a responsibility to give full support to this. By flexibly deploying additional manpower to work on the polling day and providing all possible facilitation measures for civil servants on duty, we can ensure a smooth and orderly operation of the city and smooth voting by citizens, and at the same time enable civil servants to exercise their right to vote."

     A CSB spokesman said that departments will deploy additional manpower in a flexible manner in accordance with the CSB's direction and mobilise civil servants to render full support to the work on the polling day to achieve the following objectives:

(1) to ensure the normal and orderly operation of the city, prevent potential risks or incidents, and safeguard the smooth conduct of voting across all districts in Hong Kong;

(2) to ensure proper monitoring of the smooth operation of all public services, facilities, and key infrastructure;

(3) to ensure smooth communication and co-ordination channels at all levels within the department to enable "early planning and early intervention" so that unforeseen issues can be promptly and effectively addressed;

(4) to ensure sufficient manpower support for swiftly assisting departments in need to cope with emergency situations as and when necessary; and 

(5) to ensure sufficient manpower support for appealing to and encouraging all sectors of the community to cast their votes early.

     The spokesman said that over 30 000 civil servants will work for the election at polling stations and counting stations on the polling day. In addition, different departments have long arranged manpower to stay on duty on Sundays, including the disciplined services responsible for maintaining law and order as well as the units responsible for providing public services to the general public on Sundays, such as public markets, sports centres, libraries, etc. These departments will increase staffing levels as needed. They may also set up support and co-ordination service posts at public facilities to provide information to the public in need and encourage them to vote. Other departments will also flexibly deploy additional manpower to go to work.

     Although more civil servants will go to work on the polling day than in previous years, the CSB has instructed all departments to implement all possible measures to enable civil servants on duty to cast their votes. These measures include:

(1) arranging for civil servants scheduled to work on the polling day to be released in an orderly manner for a short period of time to vote at polling stations, including allowing civil servants on duty to "vote first, then go to work" during their shift, or to leave work early to vote, thereby saving travelling time. Civil servants on duty can receive time-off or overtime allowance in accordance with prevailing regulations;

(2) arranging sufficient manpower for replacements to ensure public services remain unaffected;

(3) arranging for reimbursement of travelling expenses between the place of work and the polling stations assigned for civil servants who vote during their duty hours; and

(4) arranging for departments' staff unions and volunteer teams to encourage and assist colleagues in need to vote at their designated polling stations on the polling day.

     The CSB has earlier established a dedicated task force to oversee and co-ordinate election-related publicity and mobilisation efforts for the civil service. It has also directed the civil service leadership and their respective policy bureaux and departments (B/Ds) to set up leading task forces to implement publicity and mobilisation initiatives, including engaging with the public, different sectors and frontline colleagues, and producing promotional videos.

     In addition, the CSB has issued guidelines to B/Ds stating that if civil servants, including staff union representatives, need to temporarily leave their work to attend officially organised events during working hours (such as "Patriots Collaborate for Good Governance" 2025 Legislative Council election forums), they may apply to their respective departments. Departmental management will consider operational needs and grant approval where circumstances permit.

Ends/Friday, November 14, 2025
Issued at HKT 18:30

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