April 25, 2022
HONG KONG – The polling hours for the 2022 Chief Executive Election will be extended to two and a half hours in view of the COVID-19 situation and the need to reduce people flow at the main polling station.
Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Barnabas Fung made the announcement on Friday during an online briefing held for the lone candidate of the Chief Executive election and his electioneering team.
The session focused on the important points to note in running the election campaign and the general electoral arrangements, according to a government press release.
The candidate shall be returned at the election if the number of valid “support” votes obtained by him exceeds 750
There is only one validly nominated candidate in the election, slated for May 8. Each Election Committee member may cast either a “support” vote or a “not support” vote.
The candidate shall be returned at the election if the number of valid “support” votes obtained by him exceeds 750.
Given the epidemic situation and to reduce people flow at the main polling station located in the Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, the polling hours will be extended to two and a half hours, from 9 am to 11:30 am.
A suggested timeslot will be assigned to the EC members, according to the EC sectors to which they belong, to vote at the main polling station.
Fung called on the EC members to arrive at the main polling station to vote according to the suggested timeslots.
Those who arrive at the main polling station must undergo temperature checks. Feverish EC members will be directed by polling staff to special voting compartments to cast their ballots. These compartments will be thoroughly disinfected after each use, the press release said.
This April 22, 2022 photo shows (from left) Program Coordinator (Clean Elections) of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Franklin Chiu; Chief Electoral Officer of the Registration and Electoral Office Raymond Wang; Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission Justice Barnabas Fung Wah; Senior Assistant Solicitor General (Constitutional Development and Elections) of the Department of Justice Dorothy Cheng; and General Manager (Retail Business) of Hongkong Post Shirley Ko during an online briefing of the candidate of the 2022 Chief Executive Election and his electioneering team. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
Due to the increase in the number of EC members and to comply with anti-epidemic and social distancing requirements, there will be no less than 70 ballot paper issuing desks and about 100 voting compartments in the main polling station.
The distance between the facilities in the polling and the counting stations will be widened as far as possible.
The Registration and Electoral Office is closely liaising with the relevant bureaus or departments on detailed arrangements to allow EC members who are under quarantine or isolation on the polling day to vote. Details in this regard will be announced later.