Hong Kong authorities have scaled back a plan to use ballot scanners in next year’s Legislative Council election, less than a week after the proposal was introduced to the legislature.
The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) told local media on Tuesday evening that it would not implement the usage of the “smart” ballot boxes after considering the views of legislators on the legislature’s panel on constitutional affairs.
Under the proposed arrangement, paper ballots would still be used, while smart ballot boxes would feature a checking function to ensure that ballots had been correctly completed.
If an invalid ballot was detected, the smart ballot box would prompt electors to verify their vote, according to a CMAB document submitted to the constitutional affairs panel of the Legislative Council last Thursday for discussion on Monday.
The bureau’s decision to shelve the new scanners came after lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen expressed concerns over voters’ right to cast blank votes.
Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday did not directly answer a reporter’s question as to whether the ballot scanners would infringe on the right to cast a blank or spoiled vote, saying only that electoral procedures would be conducted smoothly and satisfactorily.
‘Well-intentioned advice’
In an emailed reply to HKFP, the CMAB said it was willing to “accept well-intentioned advice,” and that it would not push forward the use of smart ballot boxes, though they will still be made available for voters who choose to use them.
“The original intention of the Government’s proposal to introduce smart ballot boxes in elections is to assist electors in confirming that their marked ballot papers are correct, so as to further protect their right to vote,” it said.
The bureau added: “The Government attaches great importance to the views of different sectors of the community on its administration and will consider the implementation of policies in a pragmatic manner.”
Hong Kong in 2021 passed legislative amendments banning “open incitement” to cast blank or invalid ballots, though individuals retain the right to leave blank or spoil their ballots.
Next year’s LegCo election will be the city’s second since a Beijing-decreed electoral overhaul ensuring only “patriots” can run in the polls.
The move decreased the number of legislative seats directly elected by the public. The first overhauled poll, conducted in December 2021, had the lowest turnout ever for a legislative election, at 30.2 per cent.
