****************************************
Eligible persons who have not yet registered as electors are urged to submit their applications for voter registration by the deadline on Wednesday (May 16).
"Only registered electors can vote in the Legislative Council Election in September this year," a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) said today (May 13).
"Hong Kong permanent residents who have reached 18 years of age, hold identity documents and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong are eligible to be registered as electors," he said.
Registered electors do not need to register again. However, it is their civic duty to report any changes in residential addresses or other registration particulars to the REO by June 29 so that the REO can update its records accordingly.
To save paper and protect the environment, electors are encouraged to provide and update their email addresses, which will be provided to the candidates for sending election advertisements.
Forms for voter registration or reporting changes in registration particulars are available from the REO, District Offices and the management offices of public housing estates. They can also be downloaded from the voter registration website at www.voterregistration.gov.hk.
Completed forms can be mailed to the REO at 10/F, Guardian House, 32 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, or faxed to 2891 1180.
To enhance the accuracy of the information in the voter register, the REO has earlier issued inquiry letters to about 290 000 electors requesting them to confirm whether they are still residing in the addresses as registered in the current final register of electors by providing proof of their present residential addresses.
"If the REO does not receive replies from these electors by the deadline in mid-May, their names will be deleted from the 2012 provisional register of electors and be included in the omissions list," the spokesman said.
"The provisional register and the omissions list will be published for public inspection on June 15. Unless the electors included in the omissions list lodge claims or update their registered addresses by June 29 and such is subsequently approved by the Revising Officer, their names will not be included in the 2012 final register of electors and they will not be eligible to cast votes in subsequent elections including the Legislative Council Election to be held in September," he said.
For enquiries, please call 2891 1001.
Ends/Sunday, May 13, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:30
NNNN