The Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Amending the Electoral Law of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the Local People's Congresses has been passed at the 3rd Session of the 11th NPC on March 14, 2010. It is hereby released and shall be implemented from the day it is released.

  Article 1    The Electoral Law of the National People's Congress and Local People's Congresses is formulated in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.

  Article 2    Deputies to the National People's Congress and to the people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities divided into districts, and autonomous prefectures shall be elected by the people's congresses at the next lower level.
Deputies to the people's congresses of cities not divided into districts, municipal districts, counties, autonomous counties, townships, nationality townships, and towns shall be elected directly by their constituencies.

  Article 3    All citizens of the People's Republic of China who have reached the age of 18 shall have the right to vote and stand for election, regardless of ethnic status, race, sex, occupation, family background, religious belief, education, property status or length of residence.
Persons who have been deprived of political rights according to law shall not have the right to vote and stand for election.

Article 4    Each voter shall have the right to vote only once in an election.

Article 5    Elections shall be conducted separately in the People's Liberation Army, and the procedures for such elections shall be formulated separately.

Article 6    The deputies for the NPC and the local people's congresses shall be broad-based and shall comprise an appropriate number of grass-roots deputies, especially workers, farmers, and intellectual deputies; the deputies shall comprise of an appropriate number of women, who shall account for an increasingly larger percentage.
The National People's Congress and the local people's congresses of the areas with a relatively large number of returned overseas Chinese shall have an appropriate number of deputies who are returned overseas Chinese.
Citizens of the People's Republic of China who reside abroad but who are in China during the election of deputies to people's congresses at or below the county level may take part in such elections conducted in their ancestral home town or place of domicile before they went abroad.

Article 7    The electoral expense of the NPC and the local people's congresses shall be included in the fiscal budget and shall be borne by the National Treasury.

Article 8    The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress shall conduct the election of deputies to the National People's Congress. The standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities divided into districts, and autonomous prefectures shall conduct the elections of deputies to the people's congresses at the corresponding levels. 
In cities divided into districts, municipal districts, counties, autonomous counties, townships, nationality townships, and towns, election committees shall be established to conduct the election of deputies to the people's congresses at the corresponding levels. The election committees of cities not divided into districts, municipal districts, counties and autonomous counties shall be under the leadership of the standing committees of the people's congresses at the corresponding levels. The election committees of townships, nationality townships, and towns shall be under the leadership of the standing committees of the people's congresses of cities not divided into districts, municipal districts, counties and autonomous counties.
The standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities divided into districts, and autonomous prefectures shall direct the work of electing deputies to the people's congresses at or below the county level in their administrative areas.

Article 9    Members of the Election Committee of the municipalities, municipal jurisdictions, counties, autonomous counties not divided into districts shall be appointed by the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the same level. Members of the Election Committee of a township, ethnic township, and town shall be appointed by the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the municipality, municipal jurisdiction, county, and autonomous county not divided into districts.
Those Election Committee members who are deputy candidates shall resign from the Election Committee.

Article 10    The Election Committee shall perform the following responsibilities:
a) Dividing the electoral districts where the deputies of the people's congress are to be elected, and allocating the number of deputies for each electoral district;
b) Administering voter registration, examining voter qualifications, releasing voter list; taking claims of different opinions on voter list and making decisions; 
c) Determining the election date;
d) Seeking and verifying information on deputy candidates and organizing gatherings for candidates introduction; determining and releasing the final deputy candidate list;
e) Administering election via voting;
f) Determining the validity of the election and releasing the list of the deputies elected;
g) Other responsibilities as provided by the Law. The Election Committee shall release election information in a timely manner.

Article 11    The number of deputies to the local people's congresses at various levels shall be determined in accordance with the following provisions:
(1) The base number of deputies to the people's congress of a province, an autonomous region or a municipality directly under the Central Government is 350. For a province or an autonomous region, one more deputy may be added for every one hundred fifty thousand people, and for a municipality directly under the Central Government, one more deputy may be added for every twenty-five thousand people, however, the total number of its deputies shall not exceed 1,000.
(2) The base number of deputies to the people's congresses of a city divided into districts or an autonomous prefecture is 240. One more deputy may be determined for every twenty-five thousand people; however, if the population of the city or autonomous prefecture exceeds ten million, the total number of its deputies shall not exceed 650;
(3) The base number of deputies to the people's congresses of a county, an autonomous county, a city not divided into districts or a municipal district is 120. One more deputy may be added for every five thousand people; however, if the population there exceeds one million six hundred fifty thousand, the total number of deputies shall not exceed 450; if the population is less than fifty thousand people, the total number of deputies may be less than 120;
(4) The basic number for townships, ethnic townships, and towns is forty and an additional deputy may be added for every 1500 people, however the total number of deputies shall be no more than 160; the number of deputies may fall below 40 for those administrative jurisdictions with a population of less than 2000.
The base number of deputies to a local people's congress plus the number of deputies added according to the size of the local population as stipulated in the preceding paragraph shall be the total number of deputies to the local people's congress.
The number of deputies to the people's congresses of an autonomous region or a province where many minority nationalities live in concentrated community may, upon decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, be added by five percent. The number of deputies to the people's congress of a county, an autonomous county, a township or a nationality township where many minority nationalities live in concentrated communities or people live in scattered groups may, upon decision of the standing committee of the people's congress of a province, an autonomous region, or a municipality directly under the Central Government, be added by five percent of the total.

Article 12    The specific number of deputies to the people's congress of a province, an autonomous region, or a municipality directly under the Central Government shall be determined by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress according to this Law. The specific number of deputies to the people's congress of a city divided into districts, an autonomous prefecture, or a county shall be determined by the standing committee of the people's congress of a province, an autonomous region, or a municipality directly under the Central Government according to this Law and reported to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for the record. The specific number of deputies to the people's congress at the township level shall be determined by the Standing Committee of the people's congress at the county level according to this Law and reported to the standing committee of the people's congress at the next higher level for the record.

Article 13    Once the total number of deputies to a local people's congress at any level is determined, it shall no longer be changed. If the size of the population is changed considerably due to the change of the division in the administrative regions or the construction of major projects or other reasons, the total number of deputies to the people's congress at the corresponding level shall be re-determined according to this Law.

Article 14    The standing committee of the people's congress at this level or the Election Committee at this level determines the distribution of the number of deputies of the local people's congresses according to populations of the lower administrative division or electoral districts in its jurisdiction, based on the principle that each deputy represents the same number of urban and rural residents, and ensuring that each region, ethic group, and body of people has an appropriate number of deputies. Townships, ethnic townships, and towns with extremely small populations shall have at least one deputy in the people's congress of the counties or autonomous counties.
The method of distributing the number of deputies of the local people's congress shall be decided by the standing committee of the people's congress of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government by referring to the deputy number distributing method of the NPC and taking consideration of actual local conditions.

Article 15    Deputies to the National People's Congress shall be elected by the people's congresses of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government and by the People's Liberation Army.
The number of deputies to the National People's Congress shall not exceed 3,000. The allocation of the number of deputies shall be decided by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in accordance with existing conditions.
The number of deputies to the National People's Congress to be elected by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region and the methods for their elections shall be prescribed separately by the National People's Congress.

Article 16    The Standing Committee of the NPC determines the distribution of the numbers of deputy by the population of each province, autonomous region, and municipality directly under the Central Government based on the principle that each deputy represents the same number of urban and rural residents and ensuring that each region, ethic group, and body of people has an appropriate number of deputies.  
The NPC deputy numbers of a province, autonomous region, and municipality directly under the Central Government to be elected shall comprise the number calculated based on the population, the equal base number and other numbers of deputies to be elected.
The Standing Committee of the NPC determines the final distribution of the number of NPC deputies.

Article 17    The number of deputies to the National People's Congress to be elected by minority nationalities shall be allocated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in the light of the population and distribution of each minority nationality, to the people's congresses of the various provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, which shall elect them accordingly. Nationalities with exceptionally small populations shall each have at least one deputy.

 Article 18    In areas where minority nationalities live in concentrated communities, each minority nationality shall have its deputy or deputies sit in the local people's congress.
Where the total population of a minority nationality in such an area exceeds 30 percent of the total local population, the number of people represented by each deputy of that minority nationality shall be equal to the number of people represented by each of the other deputies to the local people's congress.
Where the total population of a minority nationality in such an area is less than 15 percent of the total local population, the number of people represented by each deputy of that minority nationality may be appropriately smaller, but shall not be less than half the number of people represented by each of the other deputies to the local people's congress. In autonomous counties where the population of the minority nationality practising regional autonomy is exceptionally small, the number of people represented by each deputy of this minority nationality may, upon a decision made by the standing committee of the people's congress of the province or autonomous region, be less than half the number of people represented by each of the other deputies. Other nationalities with exceptionally small populations living in concentrated communities shall each have at least one deputy.
Where the total population of a minority nationality in such an area accounts for not less than 15 percent and not more than 30 percent of the total local population, the number of people represented by each deputy of that minority nationality may be appropriately smaller than the number of people represented by each of the other deputies to the local people's congress, but the allocated number of deputies to be elected by that  minority nationality shall not exceed 30 percent of the total number of deputies.

 Article 19    In autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties, and in townships, nationality townships, and towns where a certain minority nationality lives in a concentrated community, the provisions of Article 18 of this Law shall be applicable to the election to the local people's congresses of deputies of other minority nationalities and the Han nationality also living in concentrated communities in such areas.

 Article 20    With respect to minority nationalities living in scattered groups, the number of people represented by each of their deputies to the local people's congresses may be less than the number of people represented by each of the other deputies to such congresses.
In autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties, and in townships, nationality townships, and towns where a certain minority nationality lives in a concentrated community, the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall be applicable to the election to the local people's congresses of deputies of other minority nationalities and the Han nationality living in scattered groups in such areas.

 Article 21    In cities not divided into districts, municipal districts, counties, townships, nationality townships, and towns where various minority nationalities live in concentrated communities, the minority nationality electorates may vote separately or jointly in the election of deputies to the local people's congress, depending on the relations between the nationalities, and their residential situation in such areas.
In autonomous counties and in townships, nationality townships, and towns where a certain minority nationality lives in a concentrated community, the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall be applicable to the election to the respective people's congresses of deputies of other minority nationalities and the Han nationality living in such areas.

 Article 22    The electoral documents, roll of voters, voter registration cards, list of candidates for deputies, deputies' election certificates and election committee seals made or published by autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties shall be in the written languages of the nationalities commonly used in the locality.

 Article 23    Other matters concerning elections among minority nationalities shall be handled with reference to the provisions of the relevant articles of this Law.

 Article 24    The number of deputies to the people's congresses in cities not divided into districts, municipal districts, counties, autonomous counties, townships, nationality townships, and towns shall be allocated to the electoral districts, and elections shall be held in the electoral districts. The zoning of electoral districts may be decided according to the voters' residence or on the basis of production units, institutions and work units.
The zoning of electoral districts shall be decided on the basis of one to three deputies to be elected from each electoral district.

Article 25    Each deputy of the electoral districts in this jurisdiction shall represent an approximately equal number of people.

Article 26    The registration of voters shall be conducted on the basis of electoral districts, and the voters' qualifications confirmed through registration shall have long-term validity. Prior to each election, voters who have reached the age of 18 since the last registration of voters or who have had their political rights restored after a period of deprivation of political rights has expired, shall be registered. Voters who have moved out of the electoral districts where they originally registered shall be included in the roll of voters in the electoral districts to which they have newly moved; those who are deceased or have been deprived of political rights according to law shall be removed from the roll.
Citizens who suffer from mental illness and are incapable of exercising their electoral rights shall, upon determination by the election committee, not be included in the roll of voters.

Article 27    The roll of voters shall be made public 20 days prior to the date of election. and voter registration cards shall be issued. Where voters take part in elections and cast their votes on the strength of their voter registration cards, they shall be issued voter registration cards.

Article 28    Those who hold different opinions on the voter list released may file claim with the Election Committee within five days from the day when the voter list is released. The Election Committee shall make a decision as to how to deal with a claim within three days. If an appellant disagrees with the decision, he or she may file a claim with the people's court before the fifth day prior to the Election Day, and the people's court shall produce a verdict before the Election Day. The verdict of the people's court is final.

Article 29    Candidates for deputies to the national and local people's congresses shall be nominated on the basis of electoral districts or electoral units.
Each party or people's organization may jointly or individually recommend deputy candidates. More than ten voters or deputies may also jointly recommend deputy candidates. Recommenders shall introduce the deputy candidates to the Election Co,mmittee or the presidium of the people's congress. The deputy candidates who accept the recommendation shall provide the Election Committee or the presidium of the People's Congress with his or her true identification, CV and other basic information. If the information provided is not truthful, the Election Committee or the presidium of the people's congress shall circulate it among the voters or deputies.
The number of the deputy candidates recommended jointly or individually by parties and people's organizations or the number of the deputy candidates recommended jointly by voters or deputies must not exceed the number of deputies to be elected for this electoral district or electoral unit.

Article 30    The NPC and local people's congresses adopt multi-candidate election practice, i.e. the number of deputy candidates shall be larger than the number of the deputies to be elected.
If the electors directly elect deputies for the people's congress, the number of deputy candidates shall be 1.3 or two times of the number of deputies to be elected. If the people's congress above the county level elect deputies for the people's congress immediately above it, the number of deputy candidates shall be 1.2 or 1.5 times of the number of deputies to be elected.

Article 31    If the voters directly elect deputies for the people's congress, the deputy candidates shall be recommended through nomination by voters, parties, and people's organizations. After consolidating, the Election Committee shall release the deputy candidate list and their profiles before the fifteenth day prior to the Election Day and pass the list over to the electors in the electoral district for discussion and negotiation to determine the final deputy candidate list. If the number of the nominated deputy candidates exceeds the maximum difference ratio as provided in Article 30 of this Act, the Election Committee shall present the matter to elector groups of various electoral districts for discussion and negotiation. The final deputy candidate list shall be determined based on the opinions of the majority electors. If consensus fails to be reached on the final deputy candidate list, primary election shall be conducted. The final deputy candidate list shall be determined according to the votes the deputies have received. The final deputy candidate list and their profiles shall be released before the seventh day prior to the Election Day.
When a local people's congress above the county level elects deputies for the people's congress immediately above it, the time spent on nomination and deliberation of the deputies shall be no less than two days. The presidiums of various people's congresses shall distribute printouts of the lawfully proposed deputy list and their profiles to all deputies for deliberation and discussion. If the number of proposed deputy candidates conforms to the difference ratio as provided in Article 30 of this Act, election via voting may be directly administered. If the number of the nominated deputy candidates exceeds the maximum difference ratio as provided in Article 30 of this Act, a primary election shall be held. The final deputy candidate list shall be determined according to the votes they have received during the primary election, in accordance with the election measures of the people's congress at this level and based on the specific difference ratio as provide by this Act, and then election via voting shall be administered.

Article 32    When a local people's congress at or above the county level is to elect deputies to the people's congress at the next higher level, the nominees for deputies shall not be limited to the current deputies to the lower people's congress.

Article 33    The election committee or the presidium of the people's congress shall introduce the deputy candidates to electors or deputies. Those parties, people's organizations, or deputies who have recommended deputy candidates may introduce the deputy candidates recommended at the elector group or deputy group meetings. Upon the request of electors, the election committee shall arrange deputy candidates to meet with electors, and deputy candidates introduce themselves and answer questions from electors. However, on the election day, the deputy candidate introduction must cease.

Article 34    The election of deputies for the NPC and the local people's congresses shall strictly follow the statutory procedures and is subject to supervision. No organization or individual shall interfere with electors or deputies exercising their rights freely.

Article 35    When electors directly elect deputies for the people's congress; the electors collect their ballots by presenting their identification or elector certificate in accordance with the provisions of the election committee.

Article 36    The election committee shall set up voting stations according to voter distribution and based on the principle of allowing voters to vote with ease and proceed with the election. In places where electors are concentrated, election conventions may be held. Those electors who are disabled due to illness or live in remote areas with limited access to transportation facilities may cast their ballots at mobile voting boxes.

Article 37    Where a local people's congress at or above the county level is to elect deputies to the people's congress at the next higher level, the election shall be presided over by the presidium of the lower people's congress.

Article 38    The election of deputies for the NPC and the local people's congresses shall adopt a secret ballot with no exception. Facility for confidential ballot writing shall be provided when election is under way.
If a voter is illiterate or handicapped and is therefore unable to write his ballot, he may entrust another person to write it for him.

Article 39    A voter may vote for or against a candidate for deputy and may vote instead for any other voter or abstain.

Article 40    If an elector is not available during the election, he or she may entrust in writing other electors to vote on his/her behalf upon approval of the election committee. Each elector shall accept voting entrustment from no more than three people and shall vote according to the intention of the entrusting elector.

Article 41    When balloting has been concluded, scrutineers and vote-counters elected by the voters or deputies, and members of the election committee or members of the presidium of the people's congress shall check the number of people who voted against the number of votes cast and make a record of it; the record shall be signed by the scrutineers.
Family members of the deputies shall not serve as a controller of ballot or someone who counts the ballots.

Article 42    An election shall be null and void if the number of votes cast is greater than the number of people who voted, and it shall be valid if the number of votes cast is less than the number of people who voted.
A ballot shall be null and void if more candidates are voted for than the number of deputies to be elected, and it shall be valid if fewer candidates are voted for than the number of deputies to be elected.

Article 43    In a direct election of deputies to the people's congresses, the election shall be valid, if more than half of all the voters in an electoral district cast their votes. Candidates for deputies shall be elected only if they have obtained more than half of the votes cast by the voters that take part in the election.
When a local people's congress at or above the county level is to elect deputies to a people's congress at the next higher level, candidates for deputies shall be elected only if they have obtained more than half of the votes of all the deputies.
Where the number of candidates who have obtained more than half of the votes exceeds the number of deputies to be elected, the ones who have obtained more votes shall be elected. Where the number of votes for some candidates is tied, making it impossible to determine the ones to be elected, another balloting shall be conducted for these candidates to resolve the tie, and the ones who have obtained more votes shall be elected.
If the number of elected deputies who have obtained more than half of the votes is less than the number of deputies to be elected, another election shall be held to make up the difference. When another election is held, the name list of candidates shall, by order of the number of votes they have obtained in the first balloting, be determined in accordance with the proportion for competitive election as provided in Article 30 of this Law. If only one deputy is to be elected, the number of candidates shall be two.
When another election is held to elect deputies to the people's congress at the county or township level in accordance with the provisions in the preceding paragraph, the candidates who have obtained more votes than the others shall be elected; however, the number of the votes they have obtained shall not be less than one-third of the votes cast. When another election is held by the local people's congress at or above the county level to elect deputies to the people's congress at the next higher level, the candidates shall be elected only when they have obtained a majority vote of all the deputies.

Article 44    The election committee or the presidium of the people's congress shall determine, in accordance with this Law, whether or not the result of an election is valid and shall announce it accordingly.

Article 45    No nationals shall act as deputies for the people's congress of two administrative divisions without affiliating relationships simultaneously.

Article 46    All deputies to the national and local people's congresses shall be subject to the supervision of the voters and the electoral units which elect them. Both the voters and electoral units shall have the right to recall the deputies they elect.

Article 47    With respect to deputies to the people's congress at the county or township level, a group of thirty or more voters in the electoral district may submit a demand in writing to the standing committee of the people's congress at the county level for the recall of a deputy they elected.
In a demand for the recall of a deputy, the reasons for the recall shall be clearly stated. The deputy proposed to be recalled shall have the right to defend himself at the voters' meetings or may present a written statement in his own defence.
The standing committee of the people's congress at the county level shall print and distribute the demand for the recall of a deputy and the written defence of the deputy proposed to be recalled to the voters in the electoral district from which he was elected.
When the demand for the recall of a deputy is put to vote, the standing committee of the people's congress at the county level shall dispatch a relevant leading member to preside over it.

Article 48    When a local people's congress at or above the county level is in session, the presidium or a group of at least one-tenth of the deputies may submit a proposal for the recall of a deputy to the people's congress at the next higher level who was elected by the people's congress at or above the county level. When the people's congress is not in session, the council of chairmen of the standing committee of the local people's congress at or above the county level or a group of at least one-fifth of the component members of the standing committee may submit a proposal for the recall of a deputy to the people's congress at the next higher level who was elected by the people's congress at or above the county level. In the proposal for the recall of a deputy, the reasons for the recall shall be clearly stated.
When a local people's congress at or above the county level is in session, the deputy proposed to be recalled shall have the right to defend himself or to submit a written defence at the meeting of the presidium or at the plenary meeting of the congress; the presidium shall have the written defence printed and distributed to the deputies. After the proposal for the recall of the deputy is deliberated by the deputies at the meeting, it shall be submitted by the presidium to the plenary for voting.
When the standing committee of a local people's congress at or above the county level meets, the deputy proposed to be recalled shall have the right to defend himself or submit a written defence at the council of chairmen or the plenary meeting of the standing committee; the council of chairmen shall have the written defence printed and distributed to the members of the standing committee. After the proposal for the recall of the deputy is deliberated by the members of the standing committee, it shall be submitted by the council of chairmen to the plenary meeting for voting.

 Article 49    Secret ballot shall be adopted for dismissing a deputy.

Article 50    The recall of a deputy to the people's congress at the county or township level shall be adopted by a majority vote of all the voters in the electoral district from which the deputy was elected.
Dismissing a deputy elected by a local people's congress above the county level must be passed by more than half of the deputies for the people's congress. When the people's congress is not in session, it must be passed by more than half of the members of the standing committee. The dismissing resolution must be submitted to the standing committee of the people's congress of the level immediately above it for record and announcement.

Article 51    When a deputy serving on the standing committee of a people's congress at or above the county level or on a special committee of the National People's Congress, or of the people's congress of a province, autonomous region, municipality directly under the Central Government, of a city divided into districts or of an autonomous prefecture is recalled, he is dismissed accordingly from membership on the standing committee or special committee, which shall be announced by the presidium or the standing committee.
When a deputy serving as chairman or vice-chairman of the people's congress of a township, a nationality township or a town is recalled, he is dismissed accordingly from chairmanship or vice-chairmanship, which shall be announced by the presidium.

Article 52    Deputies for the NPC and the people's congress of a province, autonomous region, and municipality directly under the central government, municipality or autonomous prefecture divided into districts may submit a letter of resignation in writing to the standing committee of the people's congress that elected the deputy. If the standing committee is to accept the resignation, it must be passed by more than half of the standing committee members. The resolution that accepts the resignation must be submitted to the standing committee of the people's congress of the level immediately above it for record and announcement.
A deputy for the people's congress of the county level may submit a letter of resignation in writing to the standing committee of the people's congress of this level; a deputy for the people's congress of the township level may submit a letter of resignation in writing to the standing committee of the people's congress of this level. If the standing committee of the people's congress at the county level is to accept the resignation, it must be passed by more than half of the standing committee members. If the standing committee of the people's congress of the township level is to accept the resignation, it must be passed by more than half of the deputies for the people's congress. If the resignation is accepted, it shall be announced.

Article 53    When the request of a deputy for resignation is granted, his membership on the standing committee of the peoples' congress at or above the county level or on the special committee of the National People's Congress, or the people's congress of a province, autonomous region, municipality directly under the Central Government, a city divided into districts or an autonomous prefecture shall be terminated accordingly, which shall be announced by the standing committee.
When the request of a deputy for resignation is granted, his chairmanship or vice-chairmanship of the people's congress of a township, a nationality township or a town shall be terminated accordingly, which shall be announced by the presidium.

Article 54    If a deputy's post becomes vacant for some reason during his term of office, the electoral district or electoral unit which elected him shall hold a by-election to fill the vacancy.
If a deputy to a local people's congress at any level is transferred or moves out of his administrative area during his term of office, he is automatically disqualified as deputy and a by-election shall be held to fill the vacancy.
When the local people's congresses at or above the county level are not in session, their standing committees may conduct by-elections to fill vacancies left by deputies to the people's congresses at the next higher level.
When by-elections are conducted to fill the vacant posts of deputies, the number of candidates may be greater than the number of deputies to be elected; or it may equal to the number of deputies to be elected. The procedures and methods of conducting by-elections shall be stipulated by the standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government.

Article 56    In the event institutions hosting the election find disruptions of the election or receive report on such disruptions, it shall investigate and deal with the disruptions in accordance with the law in a timely manner. If law enforcement is necessary, the relevant cases shall be handed over to relevant authorities for follow-up.

Article 57    The standing committees of the people's congresses of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government may formulate rules for the implementation of elections in accordance with this Law and submit them to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for the record.