XN000022-1985-03-05 — Page 15

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1985

14

VOTING'S QUITE SIMPLE, PEOPLE TOLD

******

VOTING IN THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS ON THURSDAY (MARCH 7) IS A SIMPLE PROCEDURE THAT TAKES ONLY A FEW MINUTES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION SAID TODAY.

POLLING STATIONS WILL BE OPEN THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY FOR 15 HOURS, STARTING AT 7.30 AM AND CLOSING AT 10.30 PM.

VOTERS WILL BE ELECTING 237 REPRESENTATIVES TO 19 DISTRICT BOARDS, AND SOME 1.4 MILLION PEOPLE, INCLUDING THOSE WHO REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE 1982 DISTRICT BOARD ÉLECTIONS AND THE URBAN COUNC IL ELECTIONS IN 1983, ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THURSDAY'S ELECTIONS.

ELECTIONS ARE ON A CONSTITUENCY BASIS AND OF THE 145 CONSTITUENCIES, 92 ARE DOUBLE-MEMBER CONSTITUENCIES AND 53 SINGLE-SEAT CONSTITUENCIES,

ORIGINALLY, THERE WERE 501 CANDIDATES CONTESTING THE 145 CONSTITUENCIES, BUT BECAUSE 15 CONSTITUENCIES WITH 24 SEATS WERE UNCONTESTED, THERE ARE NOW 477 CANDIDATES VYING THE REMAINING 130 CONSTITUENCIES.

THIS MEANS ABOUT 150 000 REGISTERED VOTERS IN THE UNCONTESTED CONSTITUENCIES DO NOT HAVE TO GO TO THE POLLS ON THURSDAY, LEAVING ABOUT 1.27 MILLION REGISTERED ELECTORS WHO MAY CAST THEIR VOTE ON POLLING DAY.

+ELECTORS ARE REMINDED THAT THEY SHOULD VOTE AT THE POLLING STATION INDICATED ON THEIR POLLING CARD, AND THEY SHOULD BRING ALONG THEIR IDENTITY CARD AND POLLING CARD,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

+ALTHOUGH THE POLLING CARD IS NOT ESSENTIAL TO VOTE, IT WOULD SAVE TIME AND AVOID UNNECESSARY DELAYS, HE ADDED.

NOTICES WILL BE POSTED AT ALL POLLING STATIONS INDICATING WHETHER THEY ARE DOUBLE-MEMBER OR SINGLE-SEAT CONSTITUENCIES.

COLOURED BALLOT PAPERS, PINK FOR DOUBLE-MEMBER CONSTITUENCIES AND GREEN FOR SINGLE-SEAT CONSTITUENCIES, WILL ALSO GIVE ELECTORS AN IDEA OF WHETHER THEY CAN VOTE FOR ONE OR MORE CANDIDATES.

+ IN OTHER WORDS, ELECTORS MAY VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN TWO CANDIDATES OF THEIR CHOICE IN A DOUBLE-MEMBER CONSTITUENCY, AND NOT MORE THAN ONE CANDIDATE IN A SINGLE-SEAT CONSTITUENCY, SPOKESMAN SAID.

THE

+VOTERS SHOULD MARK AN 'X' IN THE SPACE PROVIDED NEXT TO THE CANDIDATES' NAME ON THE BALLOT PAPER, HE ADDED.

+ IF AN ELECTOR VOTES FOR MORE CANDIDATES THAN ENTITLED TO, OR WRITES ANYTHING ON THE BALLOT PAPER BY WHICH THEY MAY BE IDENTIFIED, THE BALLOT PAPER WILL BE VOID AND THE VOTE WILL NOT BE COUNTED,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

/+IF AN