New polling arrangements for 2025 Legislative Council General Election
The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
Click to Gallery
New polling arrangements for 2025 Legislative Council General Election Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
New polling arrangements for 2025 Legislative Council General Election Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
New polling arrangements for 2025 Legislative Council General Election Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) will introduce new polling arrangements for the 2025 Legislative Council General Election (LCGE), with a view to facilitating electors in casting their votes and addressing the actual needs of electors.
The Chairman of the EAC, Mr Justice David Lok, introduced the new polling arrangements at a press conference today (November 14). He said that the EAC would continue to enhance various electoral arrangements with the spirit of seeking progress while ensuring stability, with a view to further enhancing election efficiency and providing convenience to different stakeholders.
Mr Justice Lok said, "In recent years, we have heard views from different sectors of the community, including the Legislative Council, that electors who have to work on the polling day, due to their job nature, working hours and duty arrangements, etc, may not have sufficient time to, before or after work, or during meal breaks, travel to and from their allocated polling stations to cast their votes. These electors are therefore not able to exercise their right to vote."
"In response, the EAC will introduce several Designated Polling Stations as pilot arrangements in this LCGE for the electors with specific needs."
Designated Polling Stations
Under the pilot arrangements, there are three categories of Designated Polling Stations:
The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) will set up a total of 10 CSDPSs. This is to facilitate civil servants in disciplined services and those who will have to be on duty near the CSDPSs, so that they can return to their duties as soon as possible after voting.
The REO will set up a total of seven HAHSDPSs near the seven largest‑scale hospitals. This is to facilitate healthcare staff who will be on duty at the relevant hospitals on the polling day to cast their votes.
The REO will set up two EMDPSs in the proximity of Wan Chai Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple and Kowloon Masjid respectively to facilitate the ethnic minority electors who will attend religious activities at these two venues on the polling day to cast their votes.
Outreach Polling Station for Residential Care Homes
In addition, to facilitate residents in residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) and residential care homes for persons with disabilities (RCHDs) to cast their votes of their own will in a familiar, safe and reassuring environment, the REO will set up Outreach Polling Stations for Residential Care Homes at premises where the residential care homes are situated. As a pilot arrangement, the REO will provide the relevant services to 11 RCHEs and four RCHDs, and will also make available the services to the staff of the said residential care homes to facilitate them to return to work after casting their votes.
The arrangements of the abovementioned Designated Polling Stations and Outreach Polling Stations are the same as those of the Ordinary Polling Stations. To ensure impartiality, candidates and their appointed polling agents can apply to observe the polling process at the relevant polling stations on the polling day.
Near Boundary Polling Stations (NBPSs)
Moreover, in view of the successful experience of the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election, apart from setting up NBPSs in Sheung Shui, the REO will also set up NBPSs at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Passenger Clearance Building and Hong Kong International Airport respectively in this election, so that electors who will travel to and from the Mainland and overseas, and those on duty at the two places on the polling day can cast their votes conveniently.
Registration
Electors who wish to cast their votes at the NBPSs must register in advance to have their polling stations changed from the originally allocated polling station to the relevant NBPS. Registration details will be uploaded to the dedicated election website later.
The pilot arrangements of the newly introduced Designated Polling Stations and Outreach Polling Stations are only applicable to specific groups of electors. The REO will liaise with the relevant bureaux, departments and groups for the related registration arrangements.
Mr Justice Lok said, "As a new pilot arrangement, the EAC and the REO will ensure that all preparatory work will be proceeded smoothly and the relevant electoral arrangements can be conducted in an open, fair, honest as well as safe and orderly manner, and the polling arrangements will become even more user‑friendly. The EAC will conduct a review after the election on all electoral arrangements, including the newly introduced measures for this election. Findings and recommendations of the relevant review will be incorporated in the election report."
Polling Hours
Mr Justice Lok also announced at the press conference the arrangement of extending the polling hours. He said, "We have also received views recently calling for an adjustment of the polling hours, so as to cater for electors who may not be able to cast their votes during the existing 14-hour voting period due to reasons such as work or duty arrangements, or personal or family matters, or northbound travel plans on the day."
"After due consideration, we will extend the polling hours by starting an hour earlier at 7.30am and ending one hour later at 11.30pm, adding up to a total of 16 hours."
The previous polling hours (i.e. from 8.30am to 10.30pm) stated in the poll cards and relevant information prepared by the REO for sending out to all Hong Kong electors have been amended. In light of the new polling hours, the REO will send another notice to all Hong Kong electors stating the new polling hours (i.e. from 7.30am to 11.30pm).
"The Government attaches great importance to this LCGE. I thank the EAC and the REO in rolling out a series of new pilot arrangements, with a view to making the election more efficient, user‑friendly, and meeting the needs of the public", the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, said at the press conference.
EAC members Professor Daniel Shek and Mr Bernard Man, SC, and the Chief Electoral Officer of the REO, Ms Natalie Chan, also attended the press conference today.
Lastly, Mr Justice Lok again appealed to all electors to exercise their civic responsibilities and actively cast their votes on December 7 to create a better future for Hong Kong together.
The names and addresses of all polling stations of the 2025 LCGE will be published in the Gazette next week.
New polling arrangements for 2025 Legislative Council General Election Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
New polling arrangements for 2025 Legislative Council General Election Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
New polling arrangements for 2025 Legislative Council General Election Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
