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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(7) MR. HENRY H. L. HU asked the following question:
Could the Chairman inform the Council how many voters have so far registered themselves for the forthcoming Urban Council Election? How many of them are below the age of 25? What measures will be taken to encourage poten-tial voters to register and eventually to cast their votes?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
This question concerns persons on the electoral register for the forthcoming Urban Council Election.
As you all know, the Authority for such matter is the Registra-tion Officer i.e. the Commissioner of Registration. Rec-ognizing the genuine interest which Members have in this matter, I referred this question to the Commissioner who has supplied the following information:
The number of electors on the register is 34,359. The number of electors under 25 years of age is not avail-able. To provide this figure would involve a complete check of electors' records.
During the four-month registration period which ended on 15th June, 12 press releases and 33 radio an-nouncements informing the public on how to register were made in both English and Chinese. In addition, 24 slogans were distributed to television stations, and 145,635 partially completed Registration Forms were sent to suitably qualified persons in an effort to encourage them to register. All this publicity resulted in the registration of 8,373 new electors.
To advertize the fact that potential electors could also apply for registration during the period when the Provi-sional Register was open for inspection (16th to 31st August), a notice was published in two English and three Chinese newspapers.
Nearer the date of the Election, the Commissioner will be advising electors by means of Poll Cards, press releases and radio announcements of the arrangements made for the Election so that electors will be given every encouragement to turn up at the polling stations to vote on the day of the Election.
MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, I thank you, and also the Commissioner of Registration, for this answer, thank you very much. But at the same time I cannot prevent myself from expressing my regret that there is
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
no figure which is now available to give us an indication of how many people under the age of 25 have registered, because we are endeavouring to help this group of people and to develop them. By saying this, Mr. Chairman, may I ask, if I may, what special efforts we have made for encouraging young people to register themselves?
CHAIRMAN: --I have nothing to add to what the Commissioner of Registration has already said Mr. Hu. As you know, strictly speaking this question is ultra vires, but I have allowed it because of your genuine interest in the matter.
MR. HU-I appreciate that Mr. Chairman. May I ask another supplementary? Did the Commissioner of Registration or yourself, Mr. Chairman, ever study the basic cause of the apathy towards the Urban Council election?
CHAIRMAN: --I've had various suggestions made to me, Mr. Hu, as to why there is this apathy, one of them being that this Council has little scope in its present activities. This is what Councillors themselves say, but I keep telling them that they have very important roles to play and the cities would be in a parlous state if the Council did not carry out its present duties.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Hear hear.
DR. BELL:Mr. Chairman, could you clarify some points please in your answer. You say that 145,635 partially completed registration forms were sent to suitably qualified persons. Could you clarify two points there please? One, how many duplications were there in the number of forms that went out, so, in fact, what was the actual number that might have been returned? Secondly, who were the suitably qualified persons that were contacted? Were they easy to find persons, or were they not so easy to find persons such as those with a School Certificate, who are entitled to vote if they are over the age of 21. Was any effort made to contact these eligible voters by sending them forms?
CHAIRMAN: -I haven't actual details, Dr. BELL. I only did say that forms were sent to people who were thought to be qualified-doctors, people like that--but as regards the actual number, like how many duplications there were, I couldn't really say and I do not think the Commissioner of Registration could possibly know either. As you know, when this question was raised previously, there were some cases in which there were seven occasions on which the form could be sent to the same person.
DR. BELL-So, Mr. Chairman, may I ask you to confirm that although 145,635 forms were sent out it was absolutely impossible that you would have got back 145,635 voters because there were, in fact, a great many duplications?
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(7) MR. HENRY H. L. HU asked the following question:
Could the Chairman inform the Council how many voters have so far registered themselves for the forthcoming Urban Council Election? How many of them are below the age of 25? What measures will be taken to encourage poten- tial voters to register and eventually to cast their votes?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
This question concerns persons on the electoral register for
the forthcoming Urban Council Election.
As you all know, the Authority for such matter is the Registra- tion Officer i.e. the Commissioner of Registration. Rec- ognizing the genuine interest which Members have in this matter, I referred this question to the Commissioner who has supplied the following information:
The number of electors on the register is 34,359. The number of electors under 25 years of age is not avail- able. To provide this figure would involve a complete check of electors' records.
During the four-month registration period which ended on 15th June, 12 press releases and 33 radio an- nouncements informing the public on how to register were made in both English and Chinese. In addition, 24 slogans were distributed to television stations, and 145,635 partially completed Registration Forms were sent to suitably qualified persons in an effort to encourage them to register. All this publicity resulted in the registration of 8,373 new electors.
To advertize the fact that potential electors could also apply for registration during the period when the Provi- sional Register was open for inspection (16th to 31st August), a notice was published in two English and three Chinese newspapers.
Nearer the date of the Election, the Commissioner will be advising electors by means of Poll Cards, press releases and radio announcements of the arrangements made for the Election so that electors will be given every encouragement to turn up at the polling stations to vote on the day of the Election.
MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, I thank you, and also the Commissioner of Registration, for this answer, thank you very much. But at the same time I cannot prevent myself from expressing my regret that there is
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no figure which is now available to give us an indication of how many people under the age of 25 have registered, because we are endeavouring to help this group of people and to develop them. By saying this, Mr. Chairman, may I ask, if I may, what special efforts we have made for encouraging young people to register themselves?
CHAIRMAN: --I have nothing to add to what the Commissioner of Registration has already said Mr. Hu. As you know, strictly speaking this question is ultra vires, but I have allowed it because of your genuine interest in the matter.
MR. HU-I appreciate that Mr. Chairman. May I ask another supplementary? Did the Commissioner of Registration or yourself, Mr. Chairman, ever study the basic cause of the apathy towards the Urban Council election?
CHAIRMAN: --I've had various suggestions made to me, Mr. Hu, as to why there is this apathy, one of them being that this Council has little scope in its present activities. This is what Councillors themselves say, but I keep telling them that they have very important roles to play and the cities would be in a parlous state if the Council did not carry out its present duties.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Hear hear.
DR. BELL:Mr. Chairman, could you clarify some points please in your answer. You say that 145,635 partially completed registration forms were sent to suitably qualified persons. Could you clarify two points there please? One, how many duplications were there in the number of forms that went out, so, in fact, what was the actual number that might have been returned? Secondly, who were the suitably qualified persons that were contacted? Were they easy to find persons, or were they not so easy to find persons such as those with a School Certificate, who are entitled to vote if they are over the age of 21. Was any effort made to contact these eligible voters by sending them forms?
CHAIRMAN: -I haven't actual details, Dr. BELL. I only did say that forms were sent to people who were thought to be qualified-doctors, people like that--but as regards the actual number, like how many duplications there were, I couldn't really say and I do not think the Commissioner of Registration could possibly know either. As you know, when this question was raised previously, there were some cases in which there were seven occasions on which the form could be sent to the same person.
DR. BELL-So, Mr. Chairman, may I ask you to confirm that although 145,635 forms were sent out it was absolutely impossible that you would have got back 145,635 voters because there were, in fact, a great many duplications?
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