The EMSD was commissioned by the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) to provide E&M technical support services for the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election (the election), which was held on 10 December last year. In this regard, the EMSD deployed about 1 500 staff to install and test the E&M equipment prior to the election day, ensuring their normal operation on that day.
To dovetail with the special arrangements for the election, the EMSD team assisted the REO in setting up four Near Boundary Polling Stations at the covered playgrounds and halls of two schools near the Sheung Shui MTR station. These polling stations covered 44 District Council geographical constituencies, providing convenience for voters who live or work in the Mainland to return to Hong Kong to cast their votes.
With extensive experience gained from supporting past electoral activities such as the Legislative Council and rural elections, the EMSD swiftly installed and tested the E&M equipment at all 681 polling stations and 618 counting stations across Hong Kong within a limited timeframe, in order to ensure that the equipment, such as temporary lighting systems, power devices and video recording systems, was functioning properly and remained adaptable to various arrangements as required by the client department. The team also set up an Emergency Response Centre from 9 to 11 December, leveraging the self-developed digital management system as well as mobile technologies to monitor the installation progress of E&M equipment at each polling station and counting station, as well as the status of each station in real time on and after the election day, so as to mobilise manpower in a timely manner and make proper arrangements for the provision of immediate support services. In addition, we co-ordinated with colleagues from various divisions within a short period of time to organise multiple oath-taking ceremonies for over 1 000 EMSD employees and contractor staff.
To ensure the smooth running of the election, the EMSD developed a comprehensive plan in advance, responded flexibly on the election day, exercised good team collaboration and made good use of self-developed technology to accomplish the tasks within a short period of time. Having established long-term partnerships with client departments, we will continue to leverage our expertise and experience to provide quality and efficient support to other elections and large-scale events in the future.
