******************************************************
Registration of voters for the Nomination of Representatives of Arts Interests for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) Exercise will close on July 22. The Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) today (July 16) urged eligible arts organisations to submit voter registration forms for their members/employees as soon as possible.
With the completion of Phase I of the Nomination Exercise - Application for participation in the Nomination Exercise, a total of 730 arts organisations are eligible to participate in the 2013 Nomination Exercise and their names are published on the list of "Arts Organisations/Individual Arts Workers Eligible to Participate in the Nomination of Representatives of Arts Interests for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2013" (the List), which is available on the website www.voteforhkadc2013.hk.0
An HAB spokesman said, "We call upon eligible arts organisations to take immediate action to help their members/employees register within this last week of registration. The registered voters may take part in the subsequent phases of the 2013 Nomination Exercise including nomination of candidates, electioneering and polling."
The eligible arts organisations should submit the Voter Registration Form and return it to the Nomination Agent before 5pm on July 22. The Guidelines for Voter Registration and Voter Registration Form can be downloaded from the website www.voteforhkadc2013.hk. The eligible arts organisations may help their members/employees who fulfil one of the following criteria register as voters:
(i) be a member who has joined the organisation for not less than one year prior to the commencement of the Nomination Exercise (i.e. March 15, 2013); or
(ii) be an employee of the organisation and has been directly involved in arts creation, direction or performance in the organisation for not less than one year prior to the commencement of the Nomination Exercise (i.e. March 15, 2013); or
(iii) be a full-time employee in the organisation and has been responsible for co-ordination or promotion of arts events or stage management (not including employees involved in general administration, finance, human resources and other technical support duties) in the organisation for not less than one year prior to the commencement of the Nomination Exercise (i.e. March 15, 2013).
Those arts organisations that had submitted voter registration forms in the Nomination Exercise in 2010 or in previous Nomination Exercise(s) must also submit voter registration forms for their members/employees afresh this year.
Individual arts workers on the List will automatically become voters and further registration is not required.
The HKADC is a statutory body set up to promote the development of the arts in Hong Kong. The Chief Executive may appoint up to 10 persons nominated by the specified arts interests. The 10 specified arts interests are Arts Administration, Arts Criticism, Arts Education, Chinese Opera (Xiqu), Dance, Drama, Film Arts, Literary Arts, Music and Visual Arts. The current term of office of the HKADC members will expire on December 31, 2013. An exercise is being conducted to nominate arts interests representatives for the Chief Executive's consideration of appointment as members of the HKADC for the next term.
The 2013 Nomination Exercise is conducted in four phases as follows:
Phase 1: Application by arts organisations and individual arts workers for participation in the Nomination Exercise (March 15 to April 25, 2013)
Phase 2: Voter registration (June 14 to July 22, 2013)
Phase 3: Candidate nomination (early August to mid-August 2013) (tentative)
Phase 4: Electioneering and polling (late August to September/October 2013) (tentative)
Ends/Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:31
NNNN
