Hong Kong elections: voting hours slashed for Election Committee polls as authorities make dozens of changes to rule book
- Polling station opening times reduced in line with drastic reduction in the number of voters for Election Committee
- Electoral Affairs Commission makes more than 60 rules changes – including new queuing system, special arrangements for feverish voters – ahead of September 19 polls
Voting hours for the first Hong Kong polls since Beijing drastically reformed the city’s electoral system will be reduced following a fall in the number of people eligible to cast ballots.
Special arrangements allowing voters with a fever to attend polling stations also feature among more than 60 amendments to the guidelines revealed on Friday ahead of the September contest for the newly empowered Election Committee.
The Electoral Affairs Commission will for the first time use a digital system to verify identities at polling stations, where a new queuing system has been designed to accommodate those who may struggle with waiting in line for any length of time.
The commission unveiled the changes to its elections rule book in preparation for the September 19 polls for the 1,500-member Election Committee.
The powerful body was previously tasked only with selecting Hong Kong’s leader, but is now also responsible for sending 40 representatives to the Legislative Council and nominating all Legco candidates. The six-day nomination period starts on August 6.
Under Beijing’s plan announced in March to enforce the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, the membership of the Election Committee will increase by 300 from 1,200.
Despite the expansion, the electorate for the contest has been slashed from more than 200,000 previously to just short of 8,000 this time around.