The 2021 Legislative Council General Election will be held on December 19. To enable eligible geographical constituency (GC) and functional constituency (FC) electors who are now in the Mainland to return to Hong Kong to vote on the polling day and be exempted from the quarantine requirements after fulfilling certain criteria, the Government yesterday (November 29) announced details of the arrangement (the Arrangement) for electors to return from the Mainland to Hong Kong to vote in the 2021 Legislative Council General Election (2021 LCGE). Polling stations will be set up on the Hong Kong side of Hong Kong/Shenzhen boundary control points (BCPs), namely Heung Yuen Wai, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line control points. Eligible GC and FC electors who are in the Mainland and wish to cast their votes at one of the three BCP polling stations can register through the online registration system (www.reo-form.gov.hk/preregistration.htm) starting from 9am tomorrow (December 1) until 6pm on December 8. Late registrations will not be processed.
 
     A spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) said, "The Arrangement is only applicable to GC and FC electors and is not applicable to the electors of the Election Committee constituency (ECC). If an elector of the ECC is now in the Mainland, he/she should plan his/her trip to return to Hong Kong in advance or return to Hong Kong via the Return2hk Scheme with a view to casting his/her votes on the polling day."
 
     In making an online registration, electors must choose the BCP polling station that they would like to vote, provide a Chinese/English name, Hong Kong identity card (HKID) number, email address, contact telephone number (including telephone number in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or the Mainland which can receive SMS), Hong Kong and Macao Residents Entry and Exit Permit (Home Return Permit) number and the ordinarily residing area in the Mainland (province/municipality/autonomous region). If an elector does not have a Home Return Permit, he/she may provide the number of a foreign passport or travel document used to enter the Mainland (though the elector would need to ascertain the visa arrangement for re-entering the Mainland). Relevant information will be passed to the relevant departments in Hong Kong and the Mainland for the purposes of public health protection and immigration control.
 
      After submitting the application for registration, electors will be assigned a reference number. The REO will issue a notification of registration result to the elector via SMS and/or email within three days to confirm whether they have successfully registered to vote at the specified BCP polling station. An elector could only vote at the BCP polling station under the Arrangement if he/she has received a notification of registration confirming the successful registration. If electors arrive at any other non-chosen BCP polling stations, they will not be allowed to vote. When registering through the online registration system, electors will also need to choose to vote at a specified timeslot (each hour will be counted as one slot) on the polling day so as to facilitate the corresponding arrangement and crowd management by the relevant departments.
 
     The spokesman said, "To ensure that the Arrangement is implemented in an orderly manner, a prior registration system would be adopted and a quota would also be imposed. The maximum registration quota for the three BCP polling stations would be 111 000 (the respective quota are: Heung Yuen Wai (Liantang): 33 000; Lo Wu (Luohu): 42 000; and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (Futian): 36 000). The quota will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis."
 
     If a registrant would like to confirm his/her status as an elector, he/she may log in to the Online Voter Information Enquiry System (www.voterinfo.gov.hk) or call the election hotline (2891 1001) to ascertain whether he/she is a registered elector. For details of the Arrangement, please visit the dedicated website (www.elections.gov.hk). For enquiries, please email to reoenq@reo.gov.hk or call the election hotline (2891 1001). The hotline will operate from 8.45am to 8pm from Monday to Friday.

Ends/Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Issued at HKT 18:00

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