Two amendment regulations under Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance to be gazetted on Friday

The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:      

     Two amendment regulations to amend the subsidiary legislation under the Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance (Cap. 541) will be gazetted this Friday (August 20). The amendments aim to improve the electoral and voter registration (VR) arrangements of the Rural Representative Election (RRE), and align electoral arrangements of the RRE with those of other public elections after the passage of the Electoral Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Ordinance 2019 and the Improving Electoral System (Consolidated Amendments) Ordinance 2021.   
 
     The two regulations to be amended are the Electoral Affairs Commission (Registration of Electors) (Rural Representative Election) Regulation (Cap. 541K) and the Electoral Procedure (Rural Representative Election) Regulation (Cap. 541L).

     "To improve the electoral and VR arrangements of the RRE, we propose to introduce certain amendments through the amendment regulations," a spokesman for the Electoral Affairs Commission said today (August 18).

     The spokesman added, "In brief, the amendment regulations comprise the following areas of amendments:

(a) To enhance the inspection and compilation of the registers of electors;
(b) To extend the requirement to submit address proof to new VR applications for Resident Representative and Kaifong Representative elections;
(c) To revise the VR deadlines;
(d) To revise the requirements on disclosure of personal data;
(e) To enable the Home Affairs Department to set up polling cum counting stations;
(f) To allow the use of an electronic poll register in the RRE;
(g) To empower Presiding Officers to set up a special queue for electors in need; and
(h) To empower the Director of Home Affairs to require schools and non-government organisations receiving grants from the Government to make available their premises for use as polling stations and/or counting stations." 

     The amendment regulations will be tabled at the Legislative Council (LegCo) on August 25, 2021, for negative vetting. Subject to the scrutiny by the LegCo, they will come into operation on January 1, 2022.