ENG-1995 — Page 43

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

were also recommended for implementation in the September 1995 Legislative Council elections.

In preparation for the Legislative Council elections, the commission conducted a voter registration exercise from January to June. A special exercise was also conducted during the first quarter of 1995 to update the General Electoral Roll. A total of about 1.4 million entries in the roll were checked against information supplied by the relevant government departments and the electors themselves and updated where necessary.

In mid-March 1995, the commission appointed a Nominations Advisory Com- mittee to advise prospective candidates and returning officers on the qualifica- tions for candidature for the Legislative Council elections. It dealt with 20 cases. In early July, after public consultation, the commission promulgated the regulations and guidelines on the electoral procedures for the Legislative Council elections.

The commission organised and supervised the Legislative Council elections on September 17. For the convenience of electors, the three types of elections (i.e. geographical, functional, and Election Committee) were held concurrently. Voting procedures were also kept simple and special arrangements were instituted to help physically disabled electors. These included the setting up of specified polling stations in all districts with special access facilities for the physically disabled, the provision of templates in all polling stations to enable visually impaired electors to mark their ballot papers, and the provision of Braille and audio tapes containing information on candidates.

To ensure that the elections were conducted fairly, openly and honestly, the commission established a Complaints Committee to deal with election-related complaints and set up a dedicated team in the Registration and Electoral Office to carry out full checks on election expenses declared by candidates. The com- mission submitted its report on the Legislative Council elections to the Governor in December.

The Registration and Electoral Office

The Registration and Electoral Office, a government department headed by the Chief Electoral Officer, is the executive arm of the Boundary and Election Commission. It works under the direction of the commission and carries out its decisions. The work of the Registration and Electoral Office includes the review and demarcation of geographical constituencies for the district boards, the municipal councils and the Legislative Council; the registration of electors; and the conduct and supervision of elections.

Advisory Boards and Committees

The government's network of advisory boards and committees is a distinctive feature of the system of government, which seeks to obtain, through consultation with interested groups and individuals in the community, the best possible advice on which to base decisions. Advisory bodies of one kind or another are found in nearly all government branches and departments.

statu-

In general, advisory bodies can be divided into two major categories tory bodies (such as the Antiquities Advisory Board and the Pilotage Advisory Committee) and non-statutory bodies (such as the Construction Advisory Board

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