2021 Election Committee subsector provisional register of voters and omissions list to be released on July 18
***************************************************************

     The 2021 Election Committee subsector (ECSS) provisional register of voters and omissions list will be released on Sunday (July 18). The provisional register of voters contains 7,891 voters, of which there are 2,547 individual voters and 5,344 corporate voters. Members of the public may log in to the Online Voter Information Enquiry System (www.voterinfo.gov.hk) to check their registration particulars and whether they are listed on the omissions list. Members of the public may also call the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) hotline 2891 1001 from July 18 to July 22 (9am to 6pm) to check the above-mentioned information. For enquiries, please inform the REO by July 22 (Thursday).
 
Compilation of the 2021 ECSS provisional register of voters and omissions list
 
     The Improving Electoral System (Consolidated Amendments) Ordinance 2021, in which there are major changes to the composition of the Election Committee (EC) and the ECSSs, was published in the Gazette and came into effect on May 31. To allow individuals and bodies whose eligibility is affected and those who are newly eligible for registration to handle their voter registration (VR) matters, the REO put in place from June 1 to July 5 the Special VR Arrangement, in which all individuals and bodies eligible to register as ECSS voters could submit applications in order for them to be included in the 2021 ECSS provisional register of voters.
 
     A spokesman for the REO said, "The REO has now processed all applications received by the deadline of the Special VR Arrangement, and included 7,891 voters in the 2021 ECSS provisional register of voters. On the other hand, for those voters registered in the original ECSSs who did not submit valid applications during the Special VR Arrangement, they have been entered into the omissions list. As for those registered in the ECSSs which have been deleted (namely the Hong Kong and Kowloon District Councils, the New Territories District Councils and the Information Technology subsectors), if they did not submit valid applications during the Special VR Arrangement, they have been directly removed from the register and have not been entered into the omissions list."
 
Lodging statutory claims and objections
 
     Any voter who has been entered into the omissions list, or any individual or body who has applied to be registered as a voter but does not find his/her/its registered particulars in the provisional register of voters, or any registered voter who finds his/her/its particulars incorrectly recorded on the provisional register of voters, may lodge a claim in person with the REO on or before July 22 (Thursday).
 
     Moreover, if anyone considers that an individual or body recorded on the provisional register of voters is not eligible to be registered, he or she may also lodge an objection in person with the REO on or before July 22.
 
     The specified forms for claims and objections may be downloaded from the REO website (www.reo.gov.hk/en/voter/appeal.htm), or obtained from the REO (10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, or 13/F, Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon) and all Home Affairs Enquiry Centres.
 
     "The statutory deadline for lodging a claim or objection is July 22. All claims and objections relating to the 2021 ECSS provisional register of voters will be considered by the Revising Officer on the basis of written submissions. No hearings will be arranged. The Revising Officer will then consider the evidence provided by the applicant and make a ruling in accordance with the legislation," the spokesman reminded.
 
Arrangements for inspection of provisional register of voters and omissions list
 
     In addition, the provisional register for ECSSs and omissions list will be made available for inspection by specified parties from July 18 (Sunday) to July 22 (Thursday) at the REO's two offices, located at 10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, and 13/F, Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon. In accordance with the judgment of the judicial review case of the Junior Police Officers' Association handed down by the Court of Appeal on May 21, 2020, and the order made at the hearing on May 27, 2020 (Case No.: CACV 73/2020), the aforementioned register and omissions list are made available for inspection from 9am to 6pm from July 18 to 22 (both days inclusive) at the aforesaid two offices by members of the press (the REO adopts the list of subscribers of the Government News and Media Information System) and political parties (i.e. political bodies/organisations which meet the specified requirements). As for the parts of the provisional register for ECSSs which contain only the registered particulars of corporate voters and do not show the linked information of individual voters (i.e. their names and principal residential addresses), they are available for public inspection during the same period and at the same locations.
 
     The REO will provide eight inspection time slots (45 minutes for each time slot) on each day during the period from July 18 to 22. Eligible organisations/persons/members of the public may make appointments for inspection on a first-come, first-served basis. Each eligible organisation/person/member of the public may reserve one time slot per day. Applicants may make appointments to inspect the register of voters by calling 2891 4082/2891 2070 starting from tomorrow (July 17) (9am to 6pm). Upon completion of the initial reservation by phone, the applicant is required to fill in and return a reservation form to the REO by a specified deadline to confirm the reservation.
 
Further information
 
     Statistical information about the ECSS provisional register of voters will be available on the VR website (www.voterregistration.gov.hk) upon the release of the register on July 18.
 
     The REO will publish the 2021 ECSS final register of voters on August 5. Voters recorded in the final register may vote in the 2021 ECSS Ordinary Elections to be held on September 19.

Ends/Friday, July 16, 2021
Issued at HKT 18:55

NNNN