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MONDAY, JULY 1, 1985
MR TSAO SAID THIS IMPRESSION WAS REINFORCED A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN HE WAS INFORMED BY THE HEADS OF SEVERAL PROFESSIONAL BODIES THAT THEY SUSPECTED MANY OF THE IR MEMBERS, LACKING AN INTEREST IN DISTRICT LEVEL POLITICS, HAD NEVER REGISTERED FOR DISTRICT BOARD OR URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS AND WERE THEREFORE NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE FORTHCOMING LEGCO ELECTION.
TO ENCOURAGE AS MUCH PARTICIPATION AS POSSIBLE, THE GOVERNMENT RELAXED THE RULE FOR 1985 ONLY AND ALLOWED THESE PEOPLE TO VOTE, AS LONG AS THEY WERE ENTITLED TO REGISTER FOR ELECTIONS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, HE SAID.
HE NOTED THAT DESPITE ALL THE PUBLICITY AND PERSUASION, SOME ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS HAD DECLINED, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DECLINE, TO REGISTER FOR THE LEGCO ELECTION.
+THE ADMINISTRATION'S RESPONSIBILITY IS TO GIVE ALL THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO, WE HAVE EVEN GONE TO THE EXTENT OF WRITING A LETTER TO EVERY SINGLE ELIGIBLE PERSON, AS WELL AS TAKING PAINS TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE THE WHOLE REGISTRATION AND ELECTION PROCESS.
+ULTIMATELY, THE DECISION TO PARTICIPATE RESTS WITH THE INDIVIDUAL AND A HUNDRED PER CENT REGISTRATION RATE CAN NEVER BE EXPECTED. HOWEVER, AS LONG AS THE LEGCO MEMBERS ARE ELECTED FROM A WIDE ENOUGH BASE WE CAN BE SATISFIED THAT THEY ARE TRULY REPRESENTING THE IR GEOGRAPHICAL AND FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES. AND I AM CONFIDENT THAT THIS WILL BE THE CASE,+ MR TSAO SAID.
LATE APPLICATIONS RECEIVED
*****
UP TO 4 PM TODAY (MONDAY), 11 963 LATE APPLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION AS ELECTORS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. AS A RESULT OF THE EARLIER REGISTRATION EXERCISE, 34 531 ELECTORS HAVE ALREADY BEEN INCLUDED IN THE PROVISIONAL REGISTER PUBLISHED ON JUNE 21.
A STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN IS AS FOLLOWS:
ESTIMATED SIZE OF ELECTORATE
(REVISED)
NUMBER OF ELECTORS ON PROVISIONAL REGISTER
LATE
APPLICATIONS
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
434
428
5
/FUNCTIONAL