Provisional turnout for Sunday’s “patriots only” Legislative Council (LegCo) stands at 31.9 per cent – up 1.7 per cent on the 2021 turnout, though still the second-lowest on record.
Candidates had been urging last-minute votes across a city still mourning the worst fire tragedy in decades.
Among 4,131,000 registered voters, 1,317,682 cast a ballot in the the publicly-elected geographical constituencies, which represent 20 seats in the 90-seat chamber. Other lawmakers in the council are selected by a committee or special interest groups.
The number of people who voted on Sunday is fewer than the 1,350,680 who turned out in the geographical race in 2021. In this year’s election, polls opened an hour early, and closed an hour later.
The turnout for the functional constituencies and Election Committee races was 40.09 per cent and 99.45 per cent respectively.
Authorities went on a months-long all-out drive to urge voters to cast a ballot. Banners and posters had been plastered across the city to promote this election, which the government set aside HK$1.28 billion to organise.
The government had also been giving “thank you cards” to people after voting.
The cards were spotted on second-hand marketplace platform Carousell, selling mostly for between HK$30 and HK$50. Some employers have offered incentives for staff who provide proof of having voted.
The K11 malls and Ocean Park are among those that have heeded to the government’s calls to encourage people to vote, offering discounts to patrons who present their cards.
Public facilities such as museums, swimming pools and the Wetland Park were made free-of-charge for the election weekend.
Meanwhile, designated polling stations were set up for civil servants to vote. On government departments’ Facebook pages, posts urged citizens to exercise their vote alongside selfies of civil servants with their “thank you cards.”
Sunday’s elections are the second since Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system in 2021 to ensure that only those deemed patriotic enough can run.
The move reduced democratic representation in the legislature, tightened control of elections and introduced requirements for candidates to obtain nominations from a small circle of political elites.
The polls are taking place as Hong Kong continues to grieve the victims of the Tai Po fire that killed at last 159 people. During the day, some survivors told HKFP they would not be voting, with one saying he was “not in the mood” – others cast a ballot in the hope that lawmakers would help enact reforms.
Last-minute campaigning
After pausing election activity in the aftermath of the fire last Wednesday, candidates and their volunteers ramped up their campaigning on Sunday, with volunteers stationed outside MTR stations and on footbridges to call for votes.
Some made the Tai Po fire a centre of their campaign, saying they aimed to follow up on the blaze and prevent another tragedy from happening.
Gary Chan, chairperson of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said on Sunday evening that the party had helped around 1,000 households in Tai Po affected by the fire.
The incumbent lawmaker was running as a candidate in the New Territories Northeast constituency.
“We’ve noticed a lot of slander and false accusations [about us] online,” Chan said in Cantonese, without elaborating. “This has put the DAB’s election outlook in danger.”
Meanwhile, chairperson of the pro-Beijing New People’s Party Regina Ip said in a Facebook statement on Sunday that lawmakers entering the new legislative term had “very important responsibilities.”
“This includes deliberating on relevant legislation, allocating necessary funds, and researching how to provide long-term support to the disaster victims,” she said in Chinese.
Ip is not running, but her party is fielding eight candidates in the race.
4 more arrests
Meanwhile, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) arrested four people on Sunday for allegedly leaving comments on social media encouraging Hongkongers not to vote, or to cast an invalid ballot, according to a statement published around noon.
Later on Sunday, the ICAC put out another statement saying it had obtained an arrest warrant for a man suspected of the same offence. The man – Wong Ho-tin, 24 – left Hong Kong in July, the ICAC said.
| 💡 Under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, it is unlawful to disclose the details of investigations launched by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, or the identity of individuals involved, unless officially revealed. |
In all, ICAC has made arrested 11 people under the Election (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance in relation to the LegCo election. Three people have been charged.
Although casting a blank protest ballot or not voting is legal, encouraging others to do either is unlawful.
Anyone found to have violated the ordinance could face a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a fine of HK$200,000 upon conviction.
