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Eligibility Requirements for Electors
| A. Village Representative Elections for Existing Villages |
| 1. | Q: | Who is eligible to be registered as an elector for an Existing Village? |
| A: | A person is eligible to be registered as an elector for an Existing Village if the person meets all of the following criteria – |
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| (a) | the person is a resident of the Village; |
| (b) | the person has been a resident of the Village for the three years immediately before the date of application for registration; |
| (c) | the person is an adult, or will be an adult on or before the next 20 October following the person’s application for registration; |
| (d) | the person is a Hong Kong permanent resident; and |
| (e) | the person is not disqualified from being registered as an elector for a Village under section 16 of the Village Representative Election Ordinance (Cap. 576). |
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| 2. | Q: | What does a “resident” mean? |
| A: | In relation to an Existing Village, a “resident” means a person whose principal residential address is in the Village. |
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| 3. | Q: | What does a “principal residential address” mean? |
| A: | n relation to a person, a “principal residential address” means the address of the dwelling place at which the person resides and which constitutes the person’s sole or main home. The principal residential address should be registered if the person has more than one residential address.
(Please note that if registered electors of the Resident Representative Election no longer reside in the Village for which they are registered, or the principal residential addresses recorded in the register of electors are no longer the addresses of their sole or main homes, they are disqualified from being registered as electors. It is an offence if they cast their votes in an election.)
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| 4. | Q: | What does a “permanent resident” mean? |
| A: | Please contact the Right of Abode Section of the Immigration Department for enquiries (Tel.: 2824 6111). |
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| 5. | Q: | I wish to register as an elector for the Resident Representative Election. What should I do if I am not sure my principal residential address belongs to which Existing Village? |
| A: | You may make reference to the maps showing the boundaries of Existing Villages available at the relevant District Offices and the Village Representative Election website at http://www.had.gov.hk/vre/eng/village_map/index.html.
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| 6. | Q: | I have registered as an elector for an Existing Village. However, I have been studying abroad for the past two years. Will this affect my eligibility as an elector?
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| A: | This involves the interpretation of the relevant provisions, such as section 15, of the Village Representative Election Ordinance (Cap. 576), and it is not appropriate for the Home Affairs Department to give any advice on the legal aspect. You may take into account all relevant facts of your case and consider whether or not you are an eligible elector. If you have any doubt on the interpretation of the Ordinance, you may wish to seek legal advice.
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| B. Village Representative Elections for Indigenous Villages/Composite Indigenous Villages |
| 7. | Q: | Who is eligible to be registered as an elector for an Indigenous Village or a Composite Indigenous Village? |
| A: | A person is eligible to be registered as an elector for an Indigenous Village or a Composite Indigenous Village if the person meets all of the following criteria –
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| (a) | the person is an indigenous inhabitant of the Village, or a spouse or surviving spouse of an indigenous inhabitant of the Village; |
| (b) | the person is an adult, or will be an adult on or before the next 20 October following the person’s application for registration; |
| (c) | the person holds a valid identity document; and |
| (d) | the person is not disqualified from being registered as an elector for a Village under section 16 of the Village Representative Election Ordinance (Cap. 576). |
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| 8. | Q: | What does an “indigenous inhabitant” mean? |
| A: | In relation to an Indigenous Village that existed in 1898, whether or not the name the Village now has is the same name it had in 1898, an indigenous inhabitant means a person who was in 1898 a resident of the Village, or a person who is descended through the male line from a person who was in 1898 a resident of the Village.
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| 9. | Q: | What are valid identity documents? |
| A: | Generally speaking, valid identity documents include – |
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| (a) | identity card; |
| (b) | supporting documents for application/replacement of an identity card; |
| (c) | supporting documents for amending registered information on an identity card; |
| (d) | certificate of exemption for holding an identity card (under special circumstances, the Immigration Department will issue a Certificate of Exemption to a person who has difficulty attending in person to register or apply for the issue of an identity card or for the renewal of an identity card, such as the aged, the infirm or the disabled); or |
| (e) | valid travel document. |
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| 10. | Q: | Is a married daughter eligible to be registered as an elector for an Indigenous Village? |
| A: | If the person is descended through the male line of an indigenous inhabitant and meets all the eligibility requirements of electors for an Indigenous Village or a Composite Indigenous Village, she is eligible to be registered as an elector for the Village.
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| 11. | Q: | If my spouse and I are indigenous inhabitants of two different Villages, are we eligible to be registered as electors for both of these two Indigenous Villages? |
| A: | No. According to section 15(7) of the Village Representative Election Ordinance (Cap. 576), a person who is eligible to be registered as an elector for two or more Indigenous Villages (including Composite Indigenous Villages) may be registered for only one of those Villages of that person’s choice.
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| 12. | Q: | Can I register as an elector in both Indigenous Inhabitant Representative Election and Resident Representative Election? |
| A: | If you are an indigenous inhabitant or a spouse of an indigenous inhabitant and have also been residing in an Existing Village for the three years immediately before the date of application for registration, and the address of the dwelling place at which you reside in the Village is your principal residential address, you may submit two separate voter registration forms (one in red and one in green) to register as an elector for both the Indigenous Inhabitant Representative Election for the Indigenous Village concerned and Resident Representative Election for the Existing Village.
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| C. General Enquiry |
| 13. | Q: | If I will be an adult after the registration deadline (16 July), am I eligible to be registered as an elector for the Village Representative Election? |
| A: | According to section 15(4)(c)(ii) or 15(5)(b)(ii) of the Village Representative Election Ordinance (Cap. 576), if you will be an adult on or before the next 20 October following your application for registration and meet all other eligibility requirements for electors, you are eligible to be registered as an elector for the Village Representative Election. Your name will be entered in the registers of that year.
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| 14. | Q: | Can I submit application(s) for voter registration on behalf of my spouse or other family members? |
| A: | The applicant should complete the application form in person. If necessary, you may, with prior consent of your spouse or other family members, fill in the application form for them. However, the completed form should be duly signed by the applicant to declare that the particulars entered are true and accurate.
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| 15. | Q: | How can I check whether I am a registered elector or not? |
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You may visit the Village Representative Election website at www.had.gov.hk/vre and check your status by following the steps as provided on the website. You may also bring along your identity documents and inspect the registers of electors at the Home Affairs Department or the relevant District Offices.
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| 16. | Q: | If I have registered as an elector before, do I need to register again? |
| A: | If there is no change of personal particulars, it is not necessary for a registered elector to register again every year. However, if there is any change of personal particulars, such as the principal residential address, postal address and marital status, you should notify the Home Affairs Department or the relevant District Offices as soon as possible. Any change of personal particulars may affect a person’s eligibility for registration as an elector.
According to the Village Representative Election Ordinance (Cap. 576), an elector for an Existing Village must be a resident of the Village, has been residing in the Village for the three years immediately before the date of application for registration and must be a Hong Kong permanent resident. An elector for an Indigenous Village or a Composite Indigenous Village must be an indigenous inhabitant of the Village or a spouse or surviving spouse of an indigenous inhabitant of the Village. Any change of personal particulars mentioned above will affect a person’s eligibility for registration as an elector.
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| How to register as an elector? |
| 17. | Q: | How do I obtain and submit a voter registration form? |
| A: | People residing in Hong Kong may obtain the voter registration forms from the Home Affairs Department and the Public Enquiry Service Centres of the District Offices. People living outside Hong Kong may obtain the registration forms from offices of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in their places of residence. The completed form may be returned in person or by post, fax or electronic means to the Home Affairs Department or the District Offices on or before 16 July.
The forms can also be downloaded from the Village Representative Elections website at www.had.gov.hk/vre. (Enquiry Hotline: (852) 2152 1521; Email address: vre@had.gov.hk.)
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| 18. | Q: | How do I submit the application form by electronic means? |
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If you have a valid digital certificate, you may return the form by electronic means to the Home Affairs Department (E-mail address: vre@had.gov.hk). Please note that a digital signature supported by a recognized certificate is required if a scanned form is sent by electronic means.
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| 19. | Q: | Can a person register as an elector after 16 July every year? |
| A: | If the registration form reaches the Electoral Registration Officer by 16 July, information provided therein will be processed for inclusion in the provisional registers of electors to be published on or before 27 August that year. If the registration form reaches the Electoral Registration Officer after 16 July, information provided therein will be processed for inclusion in the provisional registers of the following year. You may also report your new address or changes of personal particulars via the GovHK website (http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/housing/moving/coa.htm) if you are holding a valid personal digital certificate.
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| How to change personal particulars? |
| 20. | Q: | If I wish to make changes to my personal particulars as recorded in the registers, what should I do? |
| A: | You may notify the Home Affairs Department in writing by post to 30th Floor, Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong or by fax on 2591 6392. Please state clearly in the letter your name, identity card number, principal residential address, the name of your Indigenous Village or Existing Village, the name of the Rural Committee, daytime contact phone number and the particulars you would like to amend and sign the letter in person. Alternatively, you may report such changes on a voter registration form and submit the form to the Home Affairs Department by post or by fax.
(Remarks: The notification of changes to personal particulars should reach the Electoral Registration Officer on or before 9 September, in order to ensure the accuracy of the final registers of electors, which is published on or before 20 October each year.)
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| How to cancel my registration? |
| 21. | Q: | If I wish to cancel my registration for the Village Representative Election, what should I do? |
| A: | You may notify the Home Affairs Department in writing by post to 30th Floor, Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, or by fax on 2591 6392. Please state clearly in the letter your name, identity card number, application reference number, postal address and the name of your registered Village and sign the letter in person.
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| Under what circumstances is a person disqualified from being registered as an elector for a Village? |
| 22. | Q: | Under what circumstances is a person disqualified from being registered as an elector for a Village? |
| A: | A person is disqualified from being registered as an elector for a Village if the person – |
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| (a) | is found under the Mental Health Ordinance (Cap. 136) to be incapable, by reason of mental incapacity, of managing and administering his property and affairs; or |
| (b) | is a member of the armed forces of the People’s Republic of China or any other country or territory. |
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| Enquiries |
Should you have any enquiries, please contact us through our hotline: (852) 2152 1521 or our email: vre@had.gov.hk. You may also visit the Village Representative Election website at www.had.gov.hk/vre or contact our District Offices in the New Territories. For the addresses and telephone numbers of the District Offices, please click here.
The above information serves only as a general reference. You are advised to refer to the original legislation or seek legal advice in case of doubt.
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