Six days left before special voter registration deadline of July 5 for eligible individuals and bodies to submit voter registration applications
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After the Ordinance came into effect, there are major changes to the composition of the ECSSs and LegCo FCs, as well as changes to the eligibilities of voters and electors.
Registration as ECSS voters
For EC members returned by election, apart from members elected by individual voters in four ECSSs (note), members in the remaining 32 ECSSs are elected by corporate voters. Corporate voters are mainly classified into the following three categories:
First category of corporate voters: listed bodies in the Schedule to the Chief Executive Election Ordinance (CEEO) (Cap. 569). These listed bodies can register as a corporate voter in an ECSS for which they are eligible.
Second category of corporate voters: specified entities that are licensed, registered and enrolled under certain legislations. These specified entities can register as a corporate voter in an ECSS for which they are eligible.
Third category of corporate voters: bodies who are entitled to vote at the general meetings or specified authority (specified authority means the Board of Directors, General Committee, Council Committee, Executive Committee, Executive and Supervisory Committee, Committee, etc.) within the specified entities (specified entities refer to the entities in the Schedule to the CEEO). In order to register as a corporate voter, a person in a body who is entitled to vote at the general meeting of or specified authority within the relevant organisation (such as director of the Board of Directors, member of the General Committee, Council Committee, Executive Committee, Executive and Supervisory Committee or Committee) should designate a body or a body member with which he/she has substantial connection. He/She must declare in the application form (REO-SS(B)) that he/she is entitled to represent that particular body at the specified authority. There are in total 16 ECSSs in such situation including "Catering", "Commercial (first)", "Commercial (second)", "Commercial (third)", "Employers' Federation of Hong Kong", "Financial services", "Hotel", "Import and export", "Industrial (first)", "Industrial (second)", "Real estate and construction", "Small and medium enterprises", "Textiles and garment", "Tourism", "Sports, performing arts, culture and publication", and "Grassroots associations". Some specified entities must also hold relevant licenses, or be registered or enrolled to be eligible for registration as corporate voters. For director of the Board of Directors, member of the General Committee, Council Committee, Executive Committee, Executive and Supervisory Committee or Committee who is entitled to represent a body, he/she cannot be registered as a voter. Instead, the body itself can be registered as a voter.
A spokesman for the REO advised all individuals and bodies who are eligible to register as voters for ECSSs (except for the "Heung Yee Kuk" SS whose voter registration eligibility remains unchanged) should submit applications no later than July 5.
Eligibility for registration as voters of ECSSs and electors of LegCo FCs
"Under the Ordinance, there are major changes to the composition of the ECSSs and the LegCo FCs. The LegCo FCs no longer have corresponding ECSSs. Since the two are no longer correlated or reciprocal, the eligibility and requirements of registration are also different and hence the registration of FCs and SSs must be handled separately. In other words, for individuals or bodies who are eligible to register as both voters for ECSSs and electors in an FC even bearing the same name, they must submit different registration forms for ECSSs and FCs respectively" the spokesman for the REO said.
For enquiries on VR matters, please visit the "Improve Electoral System" thematic website (www.cmab.gov.hk/improvement/en/home/index.html) or the VR webpage of the REO (www.reo.gov.hk), or call the REO hotline at 2891 1001.
Note: The four ECSSs elected by individual voters are "Heung Yee Kuk", "Representatives of Hong Kong members of relevant national organisations", "Representatives of members of Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, and District Fire Safety Committees of Hong Kong and Kowloon", and "Representatives of members of Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, and District Fire Safety Committees of the New Territories".
Ends/Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
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