TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 1982
URBAN VOTER REGISTRATION EXCEEDS HALF-MILLION TARGET
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THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE REGISTERING AS VOTERS FOR THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS IN SEPTEMBER HAS EXCEEDED THE TARGET FIGURE OF HALF A MILLION, TWO WEEKS BEFORE REGISTRATION ENDS ON APRIL 30.
UP TO 12 NOON TODAY (TUESDAY), THE TOTAL FIGURE REACHED 527 000, INCLUDING THE 81 000 PEOPLE WHO HAD REGISTERED IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR AND ABOUT 30 000 URBAN COUNCIL ELECTORS WHOSE NAMES WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY TRANSFERRED TO THE REGISTER.
THE SECRETARY FOR CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, WAS GIVEN THESE FIGURES TODAY WHEN HE VISITED THE REGISTRATION AND ELECTORAL OFFICE AT MERCURY HOUSE, TO SEE HOW THE REGISTRATION FORMS WERE BEING SORTED OUT, CHECKED AND PROCESSED.
MR AKERS-JONES SAID: THE FIGURE REPRESENTS MORE THAN 25
PER CENT OF THE TWO MILLION ELIGIBLE VOTERS.
+BUT IT IS NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION OF TARGET FIGURE OR STATISTICS. IT INDICATES WIDESPREAD INTEREST IN, AND CONCERN FOR, THE OBJECTIVES OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION AND THE HOPE THAT BY JOINING IN THE ELECTIONS PEOPLE MAY MAKE THE IR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF DISTRICT MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES.
MR AKERS-JONES ALSO APPEALED TO OTHER ELIGIBLE ELECTORS WHO HAD NOT YET REGISTERED TO DO SO IN THE REMAINING TWO WEEKS.
IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS WOULD REACH 600 000 BY THE CLOSING DATE, HE SAID.
HE SAID HE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY IF HALF OF THE PEOPLE REGISTERED WOULD CAST THEIR VOTES IN THE ELECTIONS IN SEPTEMBER.
MR AKERS-JONES, WHO WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY, DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, MRS REGINA IP, WAS BRIEFED BY THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ELECTORAL SERVICES, MR ANTHONY WOO, AND THE REGISTRATION OFFICER, MR C.W. WONG, ON HOW THE LARGE NUMBER OF REGISTRATION FORMS WERE DEALT WITH BY ABOUT 200 SPECIALLY-DEPLOYED STAFF.
MR AKERS-JONES PERSONALLY THANKED THE OFFICERS FOR THEIR HARD WORK SINCE THE CURRENT PHASE OF REGISTRATION BEGAN ON MARCH 19.