Organisations and individuals who would like to register or amend their names, abbreviations of names and emblems with the Electoral Affairs Commission for the 2007 registration cycle must do so by April 16.

The Registration & Electoral Office said today that under the Particulars Relating to Candidates on Ballot Papers (Legislative Council) Regulation, candidates of Legislative Council general elections or by-elections may apply to have certain specified particulars printed on the ballot papers.

These particulars include prescribed bodies' names, abbreviations of the names, and emblems; candidates' personal emblems and photographs, as well as the words "independent candidate" or the words "non-affiliated candidate".

Although applications for registration can be submitted any time during the year, only those that reach the commission by the statutory deadline will be processed within the registration cycle in that year.

Those submitted after the cut-off date of April 16 in the 2007 registration cycle will only be processed in the 2008 registration cycle.

The commission will carefully consider all applications received in accordance with the criteria and procedures set out in the regulation.

Details of all successful applications will be gazetted, and open to public inspection at the Registration & Electoral Office during ordinary business hours.

Application forms can be downloaded here. 

The Particulars Relating to Candidates on Ballot Papers (Legislative Council) (Amendment) Regulation 2007, which seeks to extend the arrangement of allowing candidates to have certain specified particulars printed on ballot papers to District Council elections, was tabled at the Legco for negative vetting today.

Subject to the passage of the amendment regulation, names, abbreviations of names and emblems already registered with the commission in relation to Legco elections will be deemed to have been registered in relation to both Legco and DC elections.

For enquiries call 2891 1001.