FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1982
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POLLING STATIONS IN URBAN AREAS FOR DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS
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POLLING STATIONS IN THE URBAN AREAS FOR THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS THIS SEPTEMBER WILL CLOSE ONE HOUR LATER IN THE EVENING FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF ELECTORS.
10 PM.
THE POLLING HOURS WILL BE FROM 7 AM TO 11 PM INSTEAD OF
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT AT THE NEW TERRITORIES ELECTIONS EARLIER THIS YEAR, MORE THAN 30 PER CENT OF THE ELECTORS IN THE URBANIZED DISTRICTS OF TSUEN WAN, TUEN MUN AND SHA TIN CAST THEIR VOTES IN THE LAST THREE HOURS. ALSO QUEUES OUTSIDE SOME POLLING STATIONS SHORTLY BEFORE
THERE WERE 10 PM.
+EXTENDING THE HOURS TO 11 PM WILL GIVE MORE TIME TO ELECTORS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO FINISH WORK LATE IN THE DAY,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
THE ADDITIONAL POLLING HOUR IS PROVIDED UNDER AN URBAN AREAS DISTRICT BOARDS ELECTIONS (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) ORDER 1982 IN THE GAZETTE TODAY (FRIDAY). ALSO PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE ARE THE URBAN AREAS DISTRICT BOARDS (ESTABLISHMENT) NOTICE 1982, URBAN AREAS DISTRICT BOARDS (NUMBER OF APPOINTED AND ELECTED MEMBERS) ORDER 1982. AND THE URBAN AREAS DISTRICT BOARDS (TERMS OF OFFICE OF ELECTED MEMBERS) (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) ORDER 1982.
THE NOTICE AND THE THREE ORDERS WERE MADE IN PREPARATION FOR THE SEPTEMBER ELECTIONS. THE MAJOR PROVISIONS ARE:
* ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTRICT BOARDS IN THE URBAN AREAS
AS STATUTORY BODIES FROM OCTOBER 1, 1982.
* TERM OF OFFICE OF ELECTED MEMBERS TO BE 2-1/2 YEARS
FROM OCTOBER 1, 1982, INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL 3 YEARS. THIS WILL ENSURE THAT THE TERMS OF OFFICE OF ALL ELECTED DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS, WHETHER THEY WERE ELECTED IN MARCH THIS YEAR OR TO BE ELECTED THIS SEPTEMBER, WILL EXPIRE AT THE SAME TIME FOR THE TERRITORY-WIDE GENERAL ELECTIONS IN MARCH 1985.
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COMPOSITION OF THE TEN DISTRICT BOARDS IN THE URBAN AREAS. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERS ON THE BOARDS RANGE FROM 18 FOR YAU MA TEI TO 37 FOR KWUN TONG AS WELL AS WONG TAI SIN. IN ALL CASES THERE IS AN UNOFFICIAL MAJORITY AND THERE ARE EQUAL NUMBERS OF APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS AND ELECTED MEMBERS.
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