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A spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) today (May 30) reminded registered electors to report any changes in residential addresses or other registration particulars to the REO by June 29 to update their records.
The REO had issued inquiry letters to about 290 000 electors earlier requesting them to confirm whether their addresses as recorded in the current final register of electors are their principal residential addresses so as to verify the accuracy of information contained in the register of electors.
"If an elector who has received the inquiry letter has not yet replied to the REO to confirm his current principal residential address in Hong Kong, his name will be deleted from the 2012 provisional register of electors and included in the omissions lists," the spokesman said.
"The 2012 provisional register of electors and omissions lists will be published on June 15. Electors whose names are on the omissions lists have to lodge claims or update their registered residential addresses by June 29 and have such claims approved by the Revising Officer subsequently. Otherwise, their names will not be included in the final register of electors to be published in July and they will not be eligible to vote in subsequent elections, including the Legislative Council Election to be held in September," he said.
In accordance with the legislation and the current electoral arrangements, the REO publishes annually the latest provisional register of electors and omissions lists according to information such as new registration applications, requests to change registered particulars of registered electors and suspected cases of electors who are no longer eligible to register as voters. Electors may lodge claims or update their registered residential addresses in specified time to maintain their voter registration and to ensure that their residential addresses are true and accurate.
To enhance the accuracy of the information on the register of electors, the REO has implemented enhanced checking measures after the 2011 District Council Election by increasing the number of electors under checking and the extent of checking. The 290 000 inquiry letters issued by the REO involve circumstances which require follow-up actions arising from different checking measures. These include random sample checks, verification of electors' registered residential addresses through government departments (such as the data cross-matching exercise with the Housing Department and the Housing Society on residency records, and checks on the list of buildings recently demolished or vacated for demolition provided by the Buildings Department), follow-up of undelivered electoral mail (such as undelivered poll cards for the 2011 District Council Election and the 2011 Election Committee Subsector Elections, and the undelivered information letters on the registration arrangements for the District Council (second) functional constituency) and follow-up of the complaints relating to suspected false registered addresses for the 2011 District Council Election.
The 2012 provisional register of electors and omissions lists will be available for public inspection from June 15 to June 29. Full copies of the geographical constituencies provisional register can be inspected during business hours (i.e. Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm) at the REO at 10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. The relevant section of the register pertinent to a particular district will also be available at the respective District Office during their business hours. As regards the geographical constituencies omissions list, full copies will be available for public inspection at the REO's Harbour Centre Office and the various District Offices.
For enquiries relating to updating of registration particulars or inquiry letters, electors can call the REO hotline on 2891 1001 during the aforesaid business hours.
From June 15 to June 29, electors may also call the above REO hotline during the aforesaid business hours to check whether their names are listed in the provisional register of electors or the omissions lists so that they can report their updated registration particulars to the REO if necessary.
Ends/Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:53
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