Hong Kong voter registration skyrockets to biggest gain since at least 2003 – with huge increase driven by ‘dissatisfaction’ over extradition bill crisis
- More than 386,000 new registered voters is biggest annual gain since at least 2003
- Surge is driven by more than 12 per cent rise in registrations from those aged 18 to 35
Nearly 386,000 people have registered to vote in the past year – the most since at least 2003 – bringing the number of voters in the city to 4.12 million, according to figures released on Thursday by the Registration and Electoral Office.
The publication of the 2019 provisional voter registry comes three months before district council elections, the first citywide polls to be held since the extradition bill movement that has rocked the city since June.
“Most of these newly registered voters – despite not being all young – are dissatisfied by the government’s handling of the bill,” said Dr Cheung Chor-yung, a political scientist at City University.
“They could make a fairly huge impact in the upcoming elections if they are determined to vote out the conservative candidates.”
Hongkongers aged between 18 and 35 emerged as the most receptive group to the protesters’ campaign to sign up voters to oust pro-government politicians in coming elections.