The Registration & Electoral Office (REO) today dismissed an online rumour that the voter turnout in a District Council Ordinary Election constituency was greater than the number of its registered electors.

In a statement to respond to media enquiries, the REO also refuted another online rumour that the number of invalid ballot papers totalled about 1.6 million.

According to REO records, the total number of registered electors in 2019 is 4,132,977. It also showed a total of 2,943,842 registered electors had cast their votes in the election, while the total number of votes received by all candidates was 2,931,745.

The office stressed that it followed stringent procedures in issuing ballot papers to electors, adding that the vote count is conducted in an open and transparent environment under public scrutiny.

Regarding the issue of questionable ballot papers such as those that are substantially mutilated or void for uncertainty, Presiding Officers can determine their validity according to the Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (District Councils) Regulation.

The candidates and their agents will be invited to participate in the determination should there be such a process.

According to the same regulation, the Presiding Officers may also decide whether a vote recount of the counting stations is necessary if a candidate or his/her agent makes such a request.

The candidates and the electors of the relevant constituency who are not satisfied with the Presiding Officers’ decisions on the questionable ballot papers and the recount can make election petitions and the court will determine whether a person is duly elected based on the situation.

As for the polling stations, the statement said there are 615 ordinary polling stations in the election, including small polling stations with fewer than 200 electors.

In addition, there are dedicated polling stations for registered electors who are imprisoned or held in custody by the law enforcement agencies and special polling stations for electors who are wheelchair users or with walking difficulties.

The votes cast at the small and special polling stations will not be counted therein but will be delivered in the locked and sealed ballot boxes together with other relevant electoral documents under police escort to the respective main counting stations.

Regarding the dedicated polling stations which may also contain ballot papers of electors from different constituencies all over Hong Kong, these stations' ballot boxes will first be transported to the ballot paper sorting stations.

After the sorting of ballot papers according to the relevant constituencies, the ballot papers will then be delivered to the respective main counting station for mixing with other ballot papers cast therein before counting to protect the secrecy of votes.

Reiterating that public elections in Hong Kong have been held in an open, fair and honest manner, the office said the counting results of each constituency were posted at the counting stations, and that the REO's press releases and relevant figures on the election website are open for public scrutiny.