Hong Kong Regulations

BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMISSION (ELECTORAL PROCEDURE) (GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES) REGULATION - SECT 19

Designation of polling stations and counting stations

Caution: This is a past version. See the current version here.

(1) The Chief Electoral Officer shall designate, by notice published in the
Gazette, one or more places, being places described in subsection (1A), to be
used for-

   (a)  conducting a poll in respect of an election;

   (b)  separating ballot papers relating to any functional constituency from
        those relating to a geographical constituency;

   (c)  counting ballot papers;

   (d)  counting the votes; or

   (e)  any 2 or more of the purposes specified in paragraphs (b), (c) and
        (d). (L.N. 221 of 1995)

(1A) The places referred to in subsection (1) are-

   (a)  any premises occupied by a Government department for official
purposes ("Government building");

   (b)  any structure, place or premises hired or to be hired under subsection
        (1B);

   (c)  any-

        (i)    school; or

        (ii)   building occupied by any organization, association or body, in
               respect of which a grant is made out of the general revenue; or

   (d)  any other-

        (i)    structure, premises, whether permanent or temporary, mobile or
               otherwise; or

        (ii)   place, which the Chief Electoral Officer considers suitable for
               a purpose specified in subsection (1), and where the
               designation is of a polling station, is within the constituency
               in respect of which it is designated. (L.N. 221 of 1995)

(1B) The Chief Electoral Officer may hire any structure, place or premises or
part thereof for the purposes of designating as a polling station or a
counting station. (L.N. 221 of 1995)

(2) Where it appears to the Chief Electoral Officer-

   (a)  as regards a constituency, that there is not, within that
        constituency, a place or an adequate number of places described in
        subsection (1A), appropriate for designation as a polling station, he
        may designate, by notice published in the Gazette, one or more such
        places outside that constituency to be used as a polling station or
        stations in respect of that constituency; (L.N. 221 of 1995)

   (b)  that the circumstances so warrant, he may designate any such place
        within or outside a constituency to be used as a polling station or
        counting station in addition to or in substitution for a place
        designated under this section and shall publish, in such manner as he
        thinks fit, notice of such designation.

(3) A list of the polling stations and counting stations shall be available
for inspection by the public at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer
during office hours on any working day.

(4) The Chief Electoral Officer shall for the purposes of subsection (1),
designate-

   (a)  polling stations on a date as the Commission may appoint, being a date
        before 22 June in each year; and (L.N. 656 of 1994)

   (b)  counting stations, as and when he considers such designation
        necessary.

(5) The Chief Electoral Officer shall ensure that there are sufficient polling
stations to enable polling to take place smoothly and efficiently.

(6) The Chief Electoral Officer shall-

   (a)  designate at least one polling station in each District, being a
        polling station-

        (i)    designated under subsection (1) or (2); and

        (ii)   which is, in his opinion, suitable for use for the purpose of
               voting by persons with a disability for whom access to a
               polling station would be difficult by reason of such
               disability, as a polling station to be used by such persons for
               voting; and

   (b)  specify the constituency or the constituencies in respect of which
        each such specified polling station is so designated. (L.N. 221 of
        1995)

(7) Not less than 10 days before the polling day, the Chief Electoral Officer
shall indicate in the list referred to in subsection

(3), in such manner as he considers appropriate, the specified polling
stations and in relation to each specified polling station, the constituency
or the constituencies in respect of which it is designated. (L.N. 221 of 1995)

(8) The Chief Electoral Officer shall, in the case of a polling station or
counting station which is not a Government building-

   (a)  make good any damage caused; and

   (b)  defray any expenses incurred by any person having control over the
        structure, place or premises, by reason of their having been used as a
        polling station or counting station, as the case may be. (L.N. 221 of
        1995)

(9) (Repealed L.N. 221 of 1995)

(10) The Chief Electoral Officer may take such steps as he considers
appropriate, including taking out insurance, to insure against any risk of
loss or damage that may arise by reason of or in connection with the use of
any structure, place or premises as a polling station or a counting station
pursuant to this section. (L.N. 221 of 1995) (Enacted 1994)