Editorial | Voter participation is key to robust elections in Hong Kong
- Far too many Hongkongers have either been shunning the ballot box or deliberately casting invalid votes since electoral reforms were introduced
It says something about Hong Kong’s revamped elections when the ballot to return a patriots-only legislature last December barely drew a 30 per cent turnout.
The issues have been put into wider perspective following the recent revelation that the proportion of invalid votes also reached a new high. The phenomenon warrants deep reflection as the city charts a new course under redefined political paradigms.
According to a report by the Electoral Affairs Commission, there were 27,453 invalid votes in the district-based Legislative Council polls. The sector-based functional constituencies also recorded 3,261 void ballots.
The proportion surged from 0.92 per cent in 2016 to 1.07 per cent, the highest in the city’s election history. Some professional seats that used to be a stronghold of the opposition camp accounted for a significant share on invalid votes.
The figures speak volumes of public sentiments towards the electoral revamp.
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Compared to the 2019 district council polls that drew a turnout of 2.94 million, nearly 1.6 million electors shunned the new Legco vote in December.