2016 Legislative Council Election - Facts about the Election

Polling day and hours
Nomination period
Term of office
Composition
Number of electors
1-person-2-votes
Who can vote?
Where to vote?
How to vote?
Checklist for Electors
Facilitation Measures for Electors with Special Needs
Did you know?

Polling day and hours

Polling day: 4 September 2016 (Sunday)

Polling hours: 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. (except for dedicated polling stations situated in prisons where the polling hours will be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

Nomination period

Nomination period of candidature: 16 to 29 July 2016

Term of office

The term of office of the newly elected Legislative Council Members will begin on 1 October 2016 and last for four years.

Composition

70 members:

- 35 members to be returned from Geographical Constituencies

- 35 members to be returned from Functional Constituencies

Geographical Constituencies (“GCs”) (35 seats)

(1)	Hong Kong Island	6 seats
(2)	Kowloon West	6 seats
(3)	Kowloon East	5 seats
(4)	New Territories West	9 seats
(5)	New Territories East	9 seats

Voting system: List system of proportional representation

Functional Constituencies (“FCs”) (35 seats)

(1)	Heung Yee Kuk*	1 seat
(2)	Agriculture and Fisheries*	1 seat
(3)	Insurance*	1 seat
(4)	Transport*	1 seat
(5)	Education	1 seat
(6)	Legal	1 seat
(7)	Accountancy	1 seat
(8)	Medical	1 seat
(9)	Health Services	1 seat
(10)	Engineering	1 seat
(11)	Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape	1 seat
(12)	Labour	3 seat
(13)	Social Welfare	1 seat
(14)	Real Estate and Construction	1 seat
(15)	Tourism	1 seat
(16)	Commercial (first)	1 seat
(17)	Commercial (second)	1 seat
(18)	Industrial (first)	1 seat
(19)	Industrial (second)	1 seat
(20)	Finance	1 seat
(21)	Financial Services	1 seat
(22)	Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication	1 seat
(23)	Import and Export	1 seat
(24)	Textiles and Garment	1 seat
(25)	Wholesale and Retail	1 seat
(26)	Information Technology	1 seat
(27)	Catering	1 seat
(28)	District Council (first)	1 seat
(29)	District Council (second)	5 seat

Voting systems: Different voting systems apply to different FCs, namely (a) for the four special FCs (marked with * ), the preferential elimination system of voting; (b) for the District Council (second) functional constituency (“DC (second) FC”), the list system of proportional representation; and (c) for the remaining 24 ordinary FCs, the first-past-the-post voting system.

Number of electors

Geographical Constituencies: 3,779,085

Functional Constituencies: 239,724*

* Excluding 3,473,792 electors of the District Council (second) functional constituency

More details

1-person-2-votes

Each elector will have one vote for the GC and one vote for the FC.

All GC electors who are not registered in the 28 traditional FCs are eligible to be registered in the DC(second)FC.

Who can vote?

Registered electors whose names have been included in the 2016 Final Register of Electors may cast their votes in the election.

Where to vote?

Each elector or authorised representative (“AR”) will be assigned to a designated polling station near his/her residential address registered in the Final Register of Electors.

A poll card showing information about the designated polling station of an elector or AR will be issued to him/her at least 10 days before the polling day.

Whether the polling station allocated to an elector or AR is accessible to persons who are wheelchair users or have mobility difficulty will be specified in the location map attached to the poll card. Electors or ARs with mobility difficulty finding that the designated polling station is not accessible to them may apply to the Registration and Electoral Office to vote at a designated special polling station accessible to wheelchair users by fax (2891 1180), by email (reoenq@reo.gov.hk) or by telephone (2891 1001) not later than 30 August 2016.

How to vote?

Bring your Hong Kong Identity Card ("HKID card") to your designated polling station on 4 September 2016 (Sunday) during the polling hours (7:30 am to 10:30 pm).

Present your HKID card to the polling staff inside the polling station who will verify your personal particulars against the Final Register of Electors.

You will be given ballot paper(s), depending on your entitlement, and a cardboard together with a chop bearing a "

" (tick). The GC and DC (second) FC ballot papers are pre-folded by the polling staff. A black pen will also be given to an elector or AR of the four special FCs (i.e. Heung Yee Kuk FC, Agriculture and Fisheries FC, Insurance FC and Transport FC).

You should mark your ballot paper(s) inside a voting compartment. Please follow the instructions given by polling staff and printed on the ballot paper(s) and on the notices inside the voting compartment.

All electors or ARs (except for electors or ARs of the four special FCs) must use the chop attached to the cardboard to stamp a “" (tick) in the circle opposite the list of candidate(s) or the name of candidate of your choice.

For electors or ARs of the four special FCs, please use the black pen issued to you to mark an Arabic numeral “1” in the circle opposite the name of the candidate of your first preference and an Arabic numeral “2” opposite the name of the candidate of your second preference, and so on. You must mark a first preference for one candidate only.

If you have made any error in marking a ballot paper or have advertently spoiled a ballot paper, you may return that ballot paper to the Presiding Officer and ask for a replacement.

After marking a ballot paper:

(a)

GC elector should fold the ballot paper once according to the pre-folding by polling staff so that the marked side is inside to conceal the "" (tick) before putting it into the blue ballot box;

(b)

a DC (second) FC elector should similarly fold the ballot paper once and then put it into the white ballot box; and

(c)

an elector or AR of the other FCs should not fold the ballot paper. Please turn it face down and insert it into the red ballot box.

Checklist for Electors

Do NOT solicit or accept any advantage (including money, gift, etc.), food, drink or entertainment from any person for not voting at an election, or voting or not voting for a particular candidate or a particular list of candidates.

Do NOT offer any advantage, food, drink or entertainment to any person as an inducement to or a reward for the latter not to vote at an election, or to vote or not to vote for a particular candidate or a particular list of candidates.

Do NOT use or threaten to use force or duress against any person for inducing the latter to vote or not to vote at an election; or to vote or not to vote for a particular candidate or a particular list of candidates.

Do NOT vote at an election knowing that you are not entitled to do so.

Do NOT vote at an election after having knowingly or recklessly given false or misleading information (e.g. false principal residential address) to an electoral officer.

Do NOT communicate with other electors including showing your vote on the ballot paper to others or use mobile telephones or any other device for electronic communication within a polling station.

Do NOT film, take photographs or make any audio or video recording within a polling station.

Do NOT ask other electors to mark your ballot paper – in case of need, you may request the Presiding Officer to mark your ballot paper in the presence of a polling officer.

Do NOT interfere with other electors who are recording their votes.

Did you know?

Top of Page

2016@ | Important Notices | Privacy Policy

Last revision date : 8 August 2016