The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
 
     The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), Mr Justice David Lok, together with the EAC members Professor Daniel Shek and Mr Bernard Man, SC, today (November 23) inspected the demonstration of polling and counting arrangements by the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) for the District Council Ordinary Election to see for themselves the operation to ensure that the work for polling and counting on the polling day will be conducted smoothly and efficiently.
 
     The 2023 District Council Ordinary Election will be held on December 10. The REO will set up over 600 District Council geographical constituency ordinary polling stations for over 4.33 million electors to vote. There will be one District Committees constituency (DCC) polling station in each of the 18 Districts for DCC electors to vote.
 
     REO staff gave a demonstration to Mr Justice Lok and the EAC members of each polling procedure, including the ordinary and special queues in a polling station, the special counter and voting compartment for use by electors in need, steps for issuing ballot papers using the Electronic Poll Register system, the set-up of a polling station and points to note for the no staying zone and no canvassing zone.
 
     In addition, staff introduced to Mr Justice Lok and the EAC members the ballot paper checking system installed at DCC polling stations and the procedures of ballot paper sorting and computer-assisted counting for the DCCs.
 
     Mr Justice Lok said that the EAC will closely monitor the electoral process to ensure that all procedures are in compliance with the relevant legislations and guidelines; and that the election will be smooth, orderly, and efficiently conducted in an open, fair and honest manner.
 
     The REO has been conducting a series of training activities for electoral staff since late October and will continue to enhance their knowledge of each workflow and strengthen their co-ordination and response capabilities through various practice sessions and simulated activities, so as to make comprehensive and adequate preparations for the election and ensure the smooth running of the electoral process.

Ends/Thursday, November 23, 2023
Issued at HKT 20:01

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