The Registration & Electoral Office (REO) today hosted the first polling management training for supervisory-level polling staff of the upcoming 2021 Legislative Council General Election. Around 1,500 people attended.

The training was given to enhance staff’s efficiency in handling matters related to queuing, polling, counting, complaints and contingencies, the REO explained.

Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Barnabas Fung said: “When it comes to public elections, openness, fairness and honesty are the most basic principles. Accuracy and efficiency are also required, so that the election results can be announced as soon as possible.”

In case of irregularities or emergencies, presiding officers and deputy presiding officers should seek assistance from seniors or the central command centre, he stated.

“The Electoral Affairs Commission, the Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau, the REO and other relevant bureaus and departments pledge full support to the execution of duties by the electoral staff on the polling day.

“We will closely monitor the conduct of the election on the polling day, ensuring that the election is conducted in an open, fair and honest manner.”

Furthermore, Mr Fung highlighted that when entering polling stations to cast votes, electors and authorised representatives are not required to use the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app or other alternative measures. The REO will liaise with government departments who have lent their venues for use as polling stations for their co-operation with relevant arrangements.

However, for counting stations, except for exempted people, citizens entering the stations will be required to use the app, he noted.

Also present to brief the polling staff was Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang. He reiterated that the upcoming LegCo election, as the second important election to be held after improving Hong Kong’s electoral system, takes on great significance to the city as well as all citizens.

Noting that the Chief Executive has earlier requested that the election be conducted with zero tolerance for mistakes, Mr Tsang encouraged colleagues to spare no effort in ensuring every electoral arrangement is implemented in an orderly and effective manner.

“In addition to ensuring that the election is fair, just and honest, we have to appropriately implement highly efficient and humanised arrangements so as to facilitate electors and candidates during election.”

Additionally, Mr Tsang said colleagues should stay alert to two major issues.

First, they should ensure a smooth process of ballot paper issuing and polling, and open up sufficient issuing desks and voting compartments to shorten the waiting time. Polling staff should also maintain order on-site.

Second, staff members should convert the polling stations into counting stations right after the close of the poll and perform every counting procedure against the clock in order to confirm counting results as soon as possible.

Colleagues are encouraged to rehearse in preparation for the polling day to familiarise themselves with the details of the procedures so that the election could be conducted smoothly, he added.

The 2021 Legislative Council General Election will be held on December 19. Over 620 polling stations will be set up across the city, which has been divided into 10 geographical constituencies, to serve more than 4,470,000 voters.

On the polling day, some 36,000 civil servants from different bureaus and departments will discharge electoral duties at different posts.