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The 2015 District Council Ordinary Election will be held on November 22. The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) has mailed poll cards to about 3.12 million registered electors to inform them of where they should cast their votes on polling day.
"Electors may only cast their votes at the designated polling station as specified on their poll card. They are advised to note the address of the designated polling station on their poll card to ensure that they go to the correct polling station," a spokesman for the REO said today (November 13).
"Electors may also log in to the Online Voter Information Enquiry System (OVIES) (www.voterinfo.gov.hk) anytime to check the name and address of the designated polling station, its location on the map and other polling information such as the polling date and polling hours," he said.
Together with the poll card, the REO has mailed to every elector a map indicating the location of the designated polling station, a voting procedure guide, an introductory leaflet on the candidates in the respective constituency and a leaflet from the Independent Commission Against Corruption on clean elections.
"Electors can call the election hotline on 2891 1001 if they have not yet received their poll card," he said.
"Electors should bring their identity document to the designated polling station to cast their votes. They are also advised to bring their poll card to assist the polling staff in verifying whether they are visiting the designated polling station allocated to them," the spokesman said.
As in previous elections, the REO has made every effort to facilitate electors with special needs to exercise their right to vote.
"In this election, over 90 per cent of the polling stations are accessible to electors with mobility difficulty or those who use wheelchairs. If required and possible, the REO will install temporary ramps at polling stations to facilitate them," the spokesman said.
The location map enclosed with the poll card specifies clearly whether the designated polling station is accessible to electors who are wheelchair users or have mobility difficulty.
"Electors with mobility difficulty or those who use wheelchairs may apply to the REO by November 17 (next Tuesday) (i.e. at least five days before the polling day) by calling the election hotline (2891 1001) or fax (2891 1180) for re-allocation to another polling station in case they find the allocated polling station inaccessible to them. If possible, the REO will also arrange rehab buses to take them to and from polling stations upon request," he said.
In addition, the Electoral Affairs Commission encourages candidates to provide the text version of their introduction to enable electors with visual impairment to know the content. The text copies provided by candidates have been uploaded to the election website. Electors with visual impairment may also listen to the candidates' introductions by calling the dedicated telephone line 2893 3762. Braille templates will be provided at polling stations to assist electors with visual impairment to vote.
To help electors who are not familiar with Chinese and English cast their votes, guides on voting procedure in Japanese, Korean and seven ethnic minority languages (Thai, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, Nepali, Punjabi, Urdu and Tagalog) will be available at every polling station. Information on the election in the said languages has also been uploaded to the election website.
A pictorial voting aid showing the voting procedure will also be provided at polling stations to help electors with hearing impairment and electors who are not familiar with Chinese and English to understand the voting procedure.
The REO has also made arrangements with the Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents run by the Hong Kong Christian Service to provide a telephone simultaneous interpretation service with the seven languages to help the ethnic minorities make enquiries to the REO on election matters during the two weeks prior to and on the polling day.
Candidates in 68 of the 431 constituencies in the 18 districts have been returned uncontested while a total of 867 candidates will compete for the remaining 363 seats.
The REO will send a notice and an introductory leaflet to about 570 000 registered electors in the 68 uncontested constituencies to inform them of the elected candidate in their respective constituencies.
A total of 495 ordinary polling stations and 24 dedicated polling stations will be open on polling day. The polling hours for the ordinary polling stations and the three dedicated polling stations set up at police stations will be from 7.30am to 10.30pm. For security reasons, the polling hours at the 21 dedicated polling stations set up in penal institutions will be from 9am to 4pm.
Information about the election is available on the election website (www.elections.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the election hotline on 2891 1001.
Ends/Friday, November 13, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:14
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