LEGCO has recently reviewed the laws relating to District Board elections. While all eyes were on the controversial issue of whether the requirement of 10 years' ordinary residence should remain one of the qualifications for nomination as a candidate, our elected representatives seemed to have conveniently forgotten an issue which is more central to the integrity and fairness of our electoral system, namely 'vote planting'.
In short, 'vote planting' means the application for inclusion of the name of a person in the register of a constituency when in fact that person does not or has never had his principal place of business in that particular constituency.
He will then turn up at that constituency's polling station on polling day, present his ID card and vote. Under the present law, he is not required to produce his voting card. All he has to do is to present his ID card and it therefore does not affect his right to vote if the voting card is sent to an address which is in fact not his principal place of residence.
Allegations of 'vote planting' are abundant in certain constituencies and it is understood that the Boundary and Election Commission has received formal complaints about this malpractice. Whether this practice is widespread is beside the point. The very existence of it is a blot on our electoral system.
To strive for a clean and credible electoral process, we should nip this malpractice in the bud. To show our determination to maintain a clean and credible electoral process, I suggest our legislators should make the practice of 'vote planting' an indictable offence for any person, including the person 'planted', and those aiding and abetting him in such an act.
They should be liable on conviction to a fine of $1 million and to imprisonment for a minimum of 10 years.