XN000022-1982-03-26 — Page 4

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FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 1982

200 000 REGISTER SO FAR AS URBAN VOTERS

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ABOUT 200 000 PEOPLE HAVE SO FAR REGISTERED AS VOTERS FOR THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS IN SEPTEMBER, THE SECRETARY FOR CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY.

DESCRIBING THIS AS +SATISFACTORY+, HE POINTED OUT THAT SINCE THE CURRENT PHASE OF REGISTRATION BEGAN LAST FRIDAY (MARCH 19), COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORMS HAD BEEN COMING IN AT THE RATE OF ABOUT 13 000 A DAY, BRINGING THE TOTAL TO SOME 107 000.

IN ADDITION, MORE THAN 80 000 PEOPLE HAD ALREADY REGISTERED AS VOTERS FOR THE COMING ELECTIONS LAST SEPTEMBER, DURING THE REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE NT ELECTIONS.

MORE FORMS WERE EXPECTED TO COME IN, AND MR AKERS-JONES HOPED THAT THESE FIGURES WOULD ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO COME FORWARD.

HE EXPECTED ABOUT 50 PER CENT OF THE REGISTERED ELECTORS TO CAST THE IR VOTES IN THE SEPTEMBER ELECTIONS.

ALSO PRESENT AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE WERE THE REGIONAL SECRETARY (HONG KONG AND KOWLOON), MR GRAHAM BARNES, AND HIS DEPUTY, MR ALBERT LAM.

MR BARNES SAID THAT THE 30 000 REGISTERED ELECTORS FOR THE LAST URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS, WHO WOULD BE TRANSFERRED AUTOMATICALLY TO THE REGISTER OF ELECTORS FOR THE COMING URBAN DB ELECTIONS, WOULD ALSO BE POTENTIAL VOTERS.

MR LAM ESTIMATED THAT THERE WERE ABOUT TWO MILLION ELIGIBLE VOTERS IN THE URBAN AREA.

WORKING ON A TARGET OF 25 PER CENT OF THE ELECTORATE, HE SAID, THERE SHOULD BE 500 000 PEOPLE COMING FORWARD FOR THE REGISTRATION, ALTHOUGH THE ACTUAL TURNOUT WAS LIKELY TO BE HIGHER THAN THIS TARGET WHICH WAS SET MONTHS AGO BEFORE THE NT ELECTIONS.

AS AN EXAMPLE, HE CITED THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT WHERE THE ELECTORATE WAS 120 000.

HOWEVER, THE DISTRICT HAD ALREADY EXCEEDED THE 25 PER CENT TARGET OF 30 000 AND IT WAS NOW HEADING FOR 40 000.

HOWEVER, MR BARNES ADDED THAT THERE MIGHT BE OTHER DISTRICTS HAVING THE SAME GOOD RESPONSE. MORE ACCURATE FIGURES WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN A WEEK OR SO TO REFLECT THE POSITION IN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS.

THE REGISTRATION