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SCMP Reporters

As part of SCMP’s commitment to provide our readers with comprehensive coverage of the election, we have made this live blog available for free. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing.
The first election for Hong Kong's legislature under Beijing's "patriots-only" revamp of the system kicked off on Sunday, with 4.5 million people eligible to cast their ballots amid a vastly altered political landscape.
A total of 153 candidates – comprising mostly pro-establishment members, some moderates, individual aspirants and emerging elites from mainland Chinese firms – are vying for 90 Legislative Council seats spanning the geographical, functional and new Election Committee constituencies.
But only 20 seats will be filled by direct elections in the geographical sector.

Officials have launched a last-ditch attempt to drum up voter enthusiasm, with observers expecting dampened sentiment as the opposition camp sits out the race, while authorities warn against covert "foreign agents" seeking to undermine the election.
All eyes are on whether free MTR, tram and bus rides on Sunday, along with polling stations at border checkpoints – an unprecedented arrangement – can boost turnout.
Follow our blog below, as we bring you the latest from the ground.
Reporting by Natalie Wong, Laura Westbrook, Nadia Lam, Sammy Heung, Lo Hoi-ying, Emily Tsang, Cat Wang, Harvey Kong, Jess Ma, Ng Kang-chung, Tony Cheung and Jeffie Lam


As it happened: turnout in Hong Kong Legislative Council election 2021 just shy of 30 per cent; voting extended at 11 stations

Photo: Sam Tsang

Haven’t been following Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election campaigns, or don’t really care? Here’s what you still need to know, and why

Hong Kong Legislative Council election 2021: know your candidates

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Hong Kong’s Legislative Council chamber. Photo: Dickson Lee

Banners in Wan Chai encouraging members of the public to vote. Photo: Nora Tam

Legislative Council candidate Jason Poon. Photo: May Tse


Participation rate of 29.3 per cent by 9.30pm lower than 2016's 52.6 per cent at same time of day, but race that year launched an hour earlier
Total of 153 candidates vying for 90 seats, but only 20 will be filled through direct elections



Total of 153 candidates vying for 90 seats in geographical, functional and Election Committee constituencies, but only 20 will be filled through direct elections.


Hong Kong Legislative Council election 2021

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong elections

Hong Kong electoral changes

Hong Kong national security law (NSL)

Live

Check out our video on Hongkongers’ reactions in the lead-up to today’s poll: 




How much do Hongkongers know about the Legco election?

For some background, read up on our election series where the Post examines key issues around the 2021 Legislative Council race, from housing and if developers are to blame for the city’s notorious reputation on this front, to the election’s youth movement, whether pro-Beijing candidates are out of their comfort zones in wooing voters, as well as the uncertainty around support for centrists and moderates. 
Photo: Dickson Lee


Setting the stage

Who selects the city’s leader? What is the Election Committee? What are the major political races in Hong Kong and how much do they matter? Watch this video for the answers to these questions and more, as the city heads to the polls today: 




Understanding Hong Kong elections

About 630 polling stations across Hong Kong opened at 8.30am, along with three new ones at border checkpoints.
Among them is the one at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition centre for the 1,448 eligible voters of the Election Committee.
Members of the committee will pick 40 representatives to enter the 90-strong Legco, forming a new constituency as the largest force in the legislature.



Polling stations open

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee (third from left), who seeks election in Hong Kong Island West, carried out last-minute canvassing early on Sunday.
“I have had to work very hard to connect with new voters. I am excited today to welcome our new electoral system but I am also worried I may not have enough votes,” she says.
Photo: May Tse


Top government adviser fears she may fall short

Former Hong Kong security chief Lai Tung-kwok says election day security has been very well planned.     “I am very confident that peaceful and orderly elections will take place,” he says. 
He adds all lawmakers are equal regardless of which constituency they come from. 
“There is no difference in Legco if they are a functional constituency or a directly elected member. That is the design of the system,” he says.


Security is strong

Three members from the League of Social Democrats stage a protest near Raimondi College, where Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is expected to cast her ballot. 
“Give me back my right to vote,” they chant, in apparent reference to Beijing’s overhaul of the city’s electoral system. “I want universal suffrage.”
They urge members of the public to vote based on their conscience.
Photo: Robert Ng


Protest at Carrie Lam polling station

A spokesman for the Registration of the Electoral Office, which is tasked with conducting the poll, says a website allowing residents to see the estimated waiting time to vote at each polling station is down.
The spokesman suspects the issue could be related to high web traffic being generated.
Staff will be carrying placards reminding voters of the expected waiting time at polling stations, he adds.


Voter information website down

Former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying says he hopes the new legislature will serve the city in accordance with the Basic Law, as he accuses the opposition camp of misunderstanding the city’s mini-constitution in the past.
“Hong Kong’s electoral system cannot be compared to the ones in countries like Singapore and Britain. We have a system under ‘one country, two systems’ ... but some people, intentionally or unintentionally, negated the Basic Law, and sought to expand the power of the legislature,” he says.
Hoping for an improvement in this area following Beijing’s electoral reforms, he adds: “I believe that everyone can follow the Basic Law and be broadly representative of the diversified voices in Hong Kong, and serve the city.”



CY calls for Basic Law respect

Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee orders the public not to engage in any form of incitement encouraging others to carry out violent or unlawful acts, cast blank votes or “destroy” the election.
“We call on residents not to defy the law,” Siu says. “The force will continue to collect intelligence both online and offline. We will make arrests as soon as possible if we find out anyone is trying to destroy or obstruct the electoral process.”


Police chief’s warning against violence, blank votes

Large numbers of police have since 8am been stationed outside Futian Port, also known as Lok Ma Chau Spur Line - one of three polling stations allowing Hongkongers living in mainland China to vote in this election.
Volunteers in red jackets help manage the operation, with buses of voters arriving at 8.30am. 
The unprecedented decision to set up the polling stations at control points - also Heung Yuen Wai and Lo Wu - was prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Only 22,130 people have signed up to take advantage, despite there being capacity at the control points for handling 110,000 voters.




Border voting under way

Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu is urging Hongkongers to cast their ballot. He has previously said opposition lawmakers had abused their power, acted as foreign agents and filibustered in the legislature.
“I hope that in this election, we can elect lawmakers who consider Hong Kong’s interest, solve the city problems, and have positive interactions with the government to help Hong Kong’s long-term development,” he says.
Separately, after voting at a polling station in To Kwa Wan, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung says he hope more people will come out to vote, as it only took him a few minutes to do so.



Top officials in voting push

Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole delegate of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, casts his vote in the Election Committee constituency.
“Competition has been intense,” says the veteran member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), which has 10 candidates running in the geographical contest.



DAB candidates face ‘intense competition’

Speaking to the media after voting at the Raimondi College polling station in the Mid-Levels, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor says she “does not have any particular expectation” for voter turnout.
Asked about her earlier controversial remarks in which suggested low turnout could indicate good governance, Lam says it is only one possible factor at play and urges members of the public not to read too much into her comments.
The number of voters is widely expected to be low in this election, the city’s first major one since a Beijing-led overhaul aimed at ensuring only “patriots” held power.
“The government has not set any target for voter turnout rate, not for this election, not for previous elections, because there is a combination of factors that will affect the voter turnout rate in any election,” she says.

Lam refers to having two clear targets for this election, one of which is ensuring that “patriots” administer Hong Kong. She says that has been met through the design of the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee.
“All the 153 candidates could meet this requirement. You can see that they come from a very diverse background with very different opinions on a range of issues.”
She names her second target as ensuring the election is as efficient and people-focused as possible, in addition to being “fair, open, competitive and honest”.
Lam also argues that the District Council election in 2019, in which the opposition bloc, riding on the momentum of the anti-government protests, scored a landslide victory, was “not a democratic election”. The 2019 poll drew a record turnout of 71.2 per cent.
“Everyone who entered the polling station [in 2019] has to worry about their personal safety,” she says, adding some offices of pro-establishment candidates had also been damaged by protesters.


Carrie Lam: no target set for turnout

Appealing for Hongkongers to vote on Sunday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po says Beijing’s system overhaul allows “more diversified participation and balanced representation” of candidates. He was casting his ballot at South Island School in Aberdeen.
Elsewhere, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah agrees that the candidates are broadly representative of society. She says hopes that people can get out to vote and elect “patriots”.


Beijing reforms lead to ‘more diversified’ candidates

The Legco 2021 central counting station in Wan Chai is now open for candidates and the press - with 12 hours to go before the process can begin.
The totting up of ballots in the Election Committee and functional constituencies will start when voting closes at 10.30pm.
Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, which oversees the poll, says he hopes the first round of results – involving the 40-seat Election Committee constituency – will be out by 2.30am on Monday.



Out for the count

For the first time, all Hongkongers will be allowed to use public transport free of charge on Sunday as authorities seek to boost voter turnout for the election.
In all MTR stations, notices have been put up to remind residents that they do not have to tap their Octopus cards. 
A spokesman for the MTR Corporation says it expects passenger volume on Sunday to be heavier than usual. The rail operator has strengthened services and planned for special departures to meet commuters’ needs.
“The waiting time for trains may still be longer. We call on passengers to leave home early,” he says, adding some 600 extra staff members have been deployed. 
At some MTR stations, domestic helpers on their day off appear confused by the free-rides announcement made in Chinese, before realising they do not need to pay for a fare. 
Over at the Sha Tin bus terminus, queues on bus routes to Sai Kung are forming. A staff member tells the Post additional buses have been arranged in advance to cope with an expected surge in commuters.  




Free rides citywide

Andrew Fung Wai-kwong, who is bidding for a seat via the Election Committee constituency, predicts turnout will be around 30 per cent - amounting to 1 million voters.
“It is a new system so people may have different kinds of feelings [about voting],” he says.
Confusion is rife following the redrawing of boundaries in the geographical constituencies, he adds, with even one of his own volunteers supporting his election effort not realising their area is now in a different constituency.

The ex-information coordinator to the then chief executive Leung Chun-ying declined to say whether he would support his former boss to run for the city’s top job again, only saying he supports those who fulfilled his criteria.
“The next five years are critical to Hong Kong and we need get back on the right track and chief executive should be determined, rational and decisive,” he said.
Pro-Beijing veteran Lo Man-tuen, vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and one of the Election Committee voters, also predicts turnout of 30 per cent - a level he notes was seen before the city’s return to Chinese rule.
“There is no correlation between turnout and the legitimacy of the electoral system. We had a record turnout in 2016, but we elected a chamber bothered by filibustering,” he says.
He appeals to people to vote to ensure “pro-establishment forces won’t take all seats”.


Candidate predicts 30 per cent turnout

Around a dozen voters - mostly elderly residents - are queuing outside a polling station at Raimondi College in Central. Priority lines have been arranged for the elderly and pregnant women to cast their ballots under a new measure introduced in Sunday’s election.



First in line

The chief executive and her Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai inspect the polling station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the key Election Committee constituency is being decided. Lam stays for 10 minutes, waving to candidates before leaving.



Lam tours polling station

As of 9.30am, 3.18 per cent of voters - or 142,304 people - have cast their ballots since polling stations opened at 8.30am, according to the Registration and Electoral Office.
The turnout has dropped slightly from the 3.73 per cent - or 140,926 - recorded at the same time in the 2016 election. But polling stations opened at 7.30am back then.
In the first hour of the 2016 poll, also held on a Sunday, turnout was at 1.31 per cent, amounting to 49,420 people.


142,304 people vote in first hour

Dozens of candidates in the Election Committee constituency are seen shaking hands and talking to voters in the “no canvassing zone” of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) polling station.
No electoral staff were seen intervening. The Post has approached the Registration and Electoral Office for response.
Under electoral rules, most of the HKCEC is currently designated as a no canvassing zone - areas in which candidates are barred from soliciting votes.


Candidates seen talking to voters in ‘no canvassing zone’

Gloria Chan, a lawyer in her forties, voted at the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre in Sai Ying Pun, and says she did so out of civic duty.
She adds this election feels safer than the last one in 2016, and that she respects Beijing’s system overhaul as she “loves the country and Hong Kong”.
Growing tearful, she says young people may not vote this time, but they may still love Hong Kong, just “in the wrong way”. 
There are no queues at the sports centre, but a handful of voters were seen in the morning entering the facility. 
Elsewhere, 39-year-old IT professional Terry Leung left home earlier than usual to Sai Kung to avoid potential crowds stemming from the free public transport. “The MTR was noticeably more crowded throughout my way from Sai Wan to Sha Tin, but the bus queue turned out to be less crowded than I thought,” he says.
Leung says he does not intend to vote, as there are no ideal candidates, according to him. 
“I just don’t know what the candidates are doing - I don’t know who they are, and I don’t understand their manifesto. There’s nothing concrete in their policy recommendations, it’s all quite shallow.”

Alex Chu who is exercising at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park says he is “absolutely not” voting, calling the poll a “fake election”.
The 25-year-old who works in sales points to the 2016 election, saying it was “totally different” as there were more candidate choices, including from the opposition camp. 


Voices from across the divide

Special passenger flow arrangements have been implemented at Causeway Bay railway station, an MTR Corporation spokesman says.
Exit E on Great George Street is no longer accessible as an entrance and will only serve those leaving the station.
Hongkongers can travel for free on election day.  


MTR implements crowd management measures

Simon Peh Yun-lu, head of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) says as of Thursday night, his committee - which oversees election regulations - has received 29 complaints related to voter interference. 
Speaking to the media outside Po Leung Kuk Camões Tan Siu Lin Primary School in Yau Ma Tei, Peh says voters will continue to have “free will” to cast blank ballots, although encouraging others to do the same is against the law. 
“Voters should have their own ideas and not be disturbed by others,” he warns.


29 voter interference complaints received by watchdog

Many of the voters seen at polling stations are of the older generation.
At Ying Wa College, a Kowloon West polling station, dozens of mostly middle-aged or elderly residents are casting their ballots. There is a similar demographic so far at Taikoo Primary School, a Hong Kong Island East polling station, where the few people voting are elderly.

Colby Lui, a 31-year-old worker in the catering industry, brings her one-month old son with her to voting at Ying Wa College.
“The voting process is generally smooth, there are not many people inside the polling station so I didn’t need to queue up,” she says, adding she was answering calls from the government to vote.
May Fung Lai-Lin, a 50-year-old businesswoman, says this is the first time she has voted in more than 30 years. The anti-government protests of 2019 represented a turning point for inspiring her to vote.
“I vote for Hong Kong’s future. I think that Hongkongers should fulfil their responsibility to choose the candidates who help society,” she says.
Fung says she believes she still needs to vote even though most candidates in the wake of Beijing’s reforms are establishment-leaning and therefore align with her politics. “The Chinese people should be united.”


Voting for first time in 30 years

The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions is holding a press conference in North Point where the FTU candidate for the Island East constituency, Stanley Ng Chau-pei, makes an emergency appeal for votes.
“There are rumours that we have enough votes, these are all complete rumours” Ng says, adding that competition in this constituency is intense. 
He is running against moderate candidate Jason Poon Chuk-hung, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong’s Leung Hei and New People’s Party Marcus Liu Tin-shing. All three pro-establishment candidates are out and about, appealing for votes. 
According to Alice Mak Mei-kuen, an FTU candidate for the Election Committee constituency, the group’s hopefuls in other geographical constituencies are also facing a tight race. These include New Territories Southwest and Kowloon East.


‘Intense’ competition and an emergency appeal

As of 10.30am, 6.36 per cent of the electorate have voted, amounting to 284,294 people, the Registration and Electoral Office announces. 
In the first two hours of polling in the 2016 contest, 140,926 people - or 3.73 per cent of the electorate - had cast their ballots. Polling stations opened at 7.30am in the vote five years ago, an hour earlier than this year.
By 10.30am on election day in 2016, the turnout was 7.12 per cent.


Turnout latest: 284,294 people, 6.36 per cent vote

A Regina Ip supporter offers his back to the New People’s Party chairman so she can sign an autograph for him. She is up against Chan Hok-fung and Fong Lung-fei in Hong Kong Island West. 



Regina Ip secures voter’s backing

Ali Saidique, 52, who works in sanitation services and has lived in Hong Kong for eight years, says this will be the first time he has voted in a Legco election. 
“I don’t know which candidate is good, but since my daughter is studying here [in Hong Kong], I will vote,” he says. “Our family’s future is here.”   


First-time voter

As of 11.30am, three hours since polling stations opened, a total of 418,061 people - or 9.35 per cent of voters - have cast their votes.
In 2016, when polling stations opened earlier at 7.30am, 417,481 people - or 11.05 per cent - had voted as of 11.30am. Comparing the first three hours of voting that year, 7.12 per cent, or 269,046 people, had cast their ballots in that time.


Turnout latest: 418,061 people, 9.35 per cent vote

Outside Whampoa railway station, Starry Lee Wai-king -  chairwoman of the city’s biggest pro-establishment party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong - makes an urgent appeal for the public to exercise their voting rights.
Seeking another term via the Kowloon Central constituency, Lee says turnout has so far dropped slightly from the previous poll, which she attributes to a low-key campaign generally that could have been “more intense”.



Election lacks intensity: Starry Lee

People do not need to wait at the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool polling station, which is following the widely observed trend so far of voters tending to be older.
Mui Tat-ming, 58, did not cast his ballot in 2016, but chose to do so on Sunday.
The social worker says he supports the changes to these elections “to a certain extent because the political and economic situation has been deteriorating in recent years,” he says. “A calm situation in society is good for Hong Kong.”



No queues at Kennedy Town polling station

As we approach lunchtime, here are election moments captured by our photographers. Pictures by K. Y. Cheng and Felix Wong



Check out a list of all the candidates in the race in our infographic below: 



Scenes from the ground

Admiralty, one of Hong Kong’s busiest railway interchanges, is even more packed than usual.
Admiralty MTR station flooded with passengers on Legco election day
  Video: Jeffie Lam pic.twitter.com/DcUJ1qWwXD
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) December 19, 2021
Scores of passengers are waiting to board trains at the station, which connects the Tsuen Wan and Island lines. “It’s even busier than the rush hour on weekdays,” a passenger says.
Hong Kong is offering free travel on most forms of public transport for election day, which coincides with the last weekend before Christmas.



MTR station flooded with passengers

Vincent Cheng Wing-shun from the DAB, one of three candidates in the Kowloon West constituency, shows up in Sham Shui Po to urge people to vote.
Former legislator Ann Chiang Lai-wan, former health minister Dr Ko Wing-man and ex-police chief Tang King-shing form part of his team who are out in a last-ditch effort to garner support. 
“Thank you for all the support. Sham Shui Po is a special place for me, as this is the starting point of my political career,” Cheng says.
“The election is very intense and remains competitive … I hope everyone can come out to vote,” he adds, while stressing he will not comment on individual candidates. 
Cheng says residents still have demands of the government, and a low turnout does not necessarily indicate public satisfaction with the administration. 
Referring to Cheng, Ko chimes in: “Ah Shun has given us a lot of constructive comments in the past. I am very confident in him.
“Following the electoral reform, we finally have the chance to focus on a candidate’s past performance and ability. We no longer need to choose a candidate based on their locus in the political spectrum.”


Last-ditch push in Sham Shui Po

Justice Barnabas Fung Wah, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, tells the media that some polling stations experienced delayed openings or had to suspend voting for a short period of time.
But he says that, generally speaking, the election has been running smoothly.
Four polling stations were not in a position to admit the public until several minutes after 8.30am, the official start time for voting, because staff needed more time to prepare.

A polling station at Po Leung Kuk Tian Teck Proactive Concern Centre For the Elderly in Kennedy Town was closed for 22 minutes shortly after 11am because of an unstable internet connection.
All affected stations will remain open after 10.30pm to make up for the lost time, he adds.
By 10.30am, authorities have received 69 election-related complaints.
Among them, 26 related to advertising and 12 concerned electoral arrangements. Ten are to do with staffing and the same number are in connection with activities in or outside polling stations, Fung adds. 


Patchy internet suspends voting; 69 complaints generally

More than 20 candidates and their supporters wave banners on the footbridge connecting Wan Chai MTR and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where all voters in the Election Committee constituency are casting their ballots. 
With most passers-by ineligible to vote in the 40-seat constituency, candidates mainly approach Election Committee members they recognise to thank them for their support.
More than 20 candidates and their supporters erect banners on the footbridge connecting Wan Chai MTR  station and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where all Election Committee constituency voters cast their ballots
  Video: Natalie Wong pic.twitter.com/9HKQioMVz8
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) December 19, 2021


Bridging support

At odds with the wait-free experience for many voters, a long queue snakes outside the polling station at Sik Kong Wai Village Office, which sits in a rural part of Yuen Long. 
Some voters are unhappy they have been waiting for more than an hour when a sign outside estimates that queuing will last half that time.
“You said 30 minutes here, you are deceiving voters,” an elderly man shouts outside the station. 
Another man is also seen yelling at electoral officers, saying they are too slow. “Hurry up, some people are rushing to go to work.”
Separately, Justice Barnabas Fung Wah, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, says that authorities are for the first time using a new internet system to verify voter identity, leading to delays at some stations.


‘You are deceiving voters’

Simon Wong, 61, says he was driven to vote by the desire to ensure order was restored following the 2019 social unrest.
“I don’t vote often, but this year I have a strong will to vote,” he says outside the voting station at Baptist Lui Ming Choi Primary School, where only a trickle of older voters can be seen in contrast to the huge queues of five years ago.
The school supervisor adds: “I’m so tired of the chaos and violence over the past two years, that’s why I want to vote. I hope the elected candidates can bring Hong Kong back to order.”



‘Tired of chaos and violence’

Sun Dong, one of four Mandarin-speaking candidates running in the Election Committee constituency, chants campaign slogans on a busy Wan Chai footbridge. 
A first-time runner, Sun says he feels excited about talking to ordinary residents despite most of them not having the vote in his constituency.
Asked about the potential low turnout, the head of City University’s biomedical engineering department says: “I don’t think we need to take this seriously. I lived abroad for many years. The turnouts can fluctuate in mature democratic societies. We should instead focus on the manifestos of candidates.”

Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, a lawmaker seeking re-election through the Election Committee constituency, says Hong Kong elections are now on a stronger footing.
“During the 2019 district council election, a resident told me she didn’t dare to vote because she was afraid of Molotov cocktails being thrown at her by anti-government protesters ... Now we are back to normal,” she says.


Turnout ‘not an issue’

As of 12.30pm, four hours since polling stations opened, a total of 540,336 people - or 12.08 per cent of voters - have cast their ballots. In the first four hours of voting in 2016, 11.05 per cent, or 417,481 people, had done so.   


500,000 mark passed for votes; turnout 12 per cent

At the Henrietta Secondary School voting station in North Point, a traditional pro-establishment stronghold, voters, mostly elderly or middle-aged, trickle into the premises to cast their ballots.
Ha Tong, a 65-year-old tour bus company operator, believes it is his responsibility as a citizen to vote.
“Hong Kong has changed from chaos to stability, average citizens must support the country and do their part by voting for a legislative councillor that can really help them,” he says.
Ha, who previously voted in five other Legco polls, thinks the newly implemented electoral arrangements have been very clear with “absolutely no confusion”. 
Cecilia Chan, a 37-year-old housewife, says she is aiming to support a candidate who can serve Hong Kong, adding the overhaul to the system did not affect her desire to vote.
“If everyone does not come out to vote, there would be no hope for Hong Kong,” she says. Chan has also brought her daughter as she hopes the child can take in the election buzz. 



‘From chaos to stability’

Adrian Lau Cheuk-yu, who identifies as an independent democrat, is in Kwai Chung blowing a goat’s horn - also known as a shofar - to signal the start of what he hopes will be his election to Legco.
He calls on voters still sitting on the fence to head to the polls “even if it is a difficult vote to cast”, in a nod to some residents’ concerns over Beijing’s electoral reforms.  
“Some don’t agree with me running in the elections. I even got blackmailed,” he says. “I hope that voters will trust that I’ll stick to my principles.”
He adds: “Even if there are only a few of us from the pro-democracy camp, we still want to fight for this last breath.”   


Independent democrat sounds horn on electoral bid

Next to Smithfield polling station in Kennedy Town, Kelly Tang says she did not vote because of the lack of time she had to read candidates’ manifestos.
She also says there is not much information available about the candidates and their policies in her constituency of Hong Kong Island West.
The 21-year-old student calls on the new legislature to bridge what she sees as a gap between Hong Kong’s young and older generations.
“I hope they can do something that is good for society and help society to be more connected,” she says. 
With pro-establishment parties packing Legco, she adds they will “dominate how people will feel about policies”.
Another student, Wong, who asked to be known only by her surname, is also in Kennedy Town with her boyfriend, visiting a cafe on the waterfront. Wong had travelled on the MTR for free from her home in the New Territories. 
The 20-year-old accountancy student says she is undecided on whether to vote, as candidates all seem “similar”.
She says she believes other young people are also “not so interested” this time round, compared with the 2016 election.
“We don’t have any expectations from the new Legco.”
In the Hong Kong Island West constituency, Richard Hui was among voters who supported candidate Regina Ip, saying she is an experienced lawmaker. 
Asked why some young people appeared to have shunned the poll, the 61-year-old retired businessman admits there is a divide between generations.
“Young people have their own thinking. Senior citizens, we have ours,” he says.


New Legco must ‘close generation gap’

As of 1.30pm, five hours since polling stations opened, a total of 643,603 people, or about 14.4 per cent of voters, have cast their ballots in the geographical constituencies.
In 2016, when polling stations opened an hour earlier at 7.30am, the turnout rate as of 1.30pm was about 18.9 per cent, amounting to 713,452 people. The rate was 15 per cent, or 566,640 people, for the first five hours of the poll that year. 
For the 28 trade-based functional constituencies this year, the turnout rate was 14.14 per cent as of 1.30pm. Among them, a third commercial sector newly created to represent mainland enterprises in the city recorded the highest turnout rate of about 90.3 per cent, while the social welfare sector had the lowest mark at 7 per cent.
The turnout for the new Election Committee constituency was 75 per cent, meaning 1,086 of its 1,448 members had voted. 


How the numbers add up so far

Former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen says he spent 20 minutes marking and checking his ballot paper to ensure his vote would be valid for the 40-seat Election Committee constituency.
“It’s not an easy choice. All 51 candidates are capable in their own fields. I did a lot of homework last night [before making up my mind],” the member of the powerful 1,448-strong committee says.

He also denies Beijing has issued a “pre-approved list” of candidates.
Tang adds that turnout should be regarded as only “a reference” given the central government’s drastic changes for the entire electoral system.   


‘No Beijing list’ on who to vote for

Check out our video as Hong Kong heads to the polls in the first major election since Beijing’s system overhaul:



Watch: voting under way for Legco 2021

Sun Hung Kai Properties executive director Adam Kwok Kai-fai, also an Election Committee member, says after voting that he looks forward to working with the elected lawmakers to make new breakthroughs in addressing the city’s housing problems.
“‘Common prosperity’, as mentioned by our state leaders, is about growing the pie for all people and thus improving the upward mobility of the grass roots,” he says. “We’re willing to cooperate with [lawmakers] to make it happen.”
Sun Hung Kai is one of Hong Kong’s biggest property developers, which have come under pressure to do more to fix the city’s housing issues including addressing land shortages.   


Property giant vows to work with lawmakers

Gary Chan, who is running in New Territories North East, says the election is more civilised than previous contests.
“There are fewer political disputes as candidates are focused on their policy recommendations,” he says, but adds that there remains voter confusion in areas such boundary changes.
Pro-establishment Chan has issued two emergency calls asking people to come out and vote for him, fearing the public will mistakenly believe he will easily secure enough support by virtue of being the incumbent.


Poll is ‘more civilised’ this year

Independent candidate Jason Poon Chuk-hung, running in Hong Kong Island East, remains confident in his performance.
“I hope the turnout will be higher later today and I’ll get more votes,” he says. “I believe that if the turnout is higher than 35 per cent, I still have a chance to win.” 
But Poon will not make an emergency appeal at the moment, despite all three of his opponents having done so.
“Some residents told me that they felt repulsed by the emergency appeals made by other candidates. The moves seem very forced,” he says.
“After some discussions with residents, I think I better not make emergency appeals in such a robotic and soulless way.”



Emergency appeals? ‘Robotic and soulless’

Veteran democrat Frederick Fung Kin-kee notes that his two pro-establishment rival candidates in the Kowloon West constituency both have far more volunteers and supporters than he does.
“But in the end, whether a candidate can win or not is not determined by the number of volunteers or the resources he has,” says the 68-year-old, who has been campaigning in Sham Shui Po.
“The main problem is that Hong Kong people do not like that there is only one voice in the legislature, we need other voices which will be beneficial to Hong Kong.”
He says the higher the turnout the better his chances of securing support, as he hopes the rate will reach at least 35 per cent.


‘Hong Kong needs other Legco voices’

As of 2.30pm, six hours since polling stations opened, about 16.7 per cent of Hong Kong’s registered electorate – or 745,212 people – have cast their votes, according to official figures.
In the last Legislative Council election in 2016, when voting kicked off earlier at 7.30am, the turnout rate by 2.30pm was about 22.9 per cent, or 865,476 people.
In the first six hours of voting that year, the rate was 18.9 per cent, or 713,452 people.
Among the 10 geographical constituencies in this year’s race, New Territories South West had the highest turnout rate of about 17.9 per cent as of 2.30pm, while New Territories South East marked the lowest, at about 15.1 per cent.
For the trade-based functional constituencies, the overall turnout was 16.6 per cent by 2.30pm. Among them, a third commercial sector newly created to represent mainland enterprises in the city recorded the highest turnout at 93.4 per cent, while the social welfare sector saw the lowest mark at about 8.5 per cent.
The turnout for the Election Committee constituency was 82.2 per cent, meaning 1,190 of its 1,448 members had voted.


Voter turnout nears 17 per cent

In one of the most competitive races, three of the four candidates fighting for the two New Territories North seats are facing off as they campaign at a busy junction outside the Ginza shopping centre.
Engineer Gary Zhang Xin-yu, 35, a core member of the emerging New Prospect for Hong Kong, leads a team of two dozen supporters trying to garner votes. 
Nearby, Wilson Shum Ho-kit, a solicitor who says he represents the voice of villagers, and his backers are trying to outshout their rivals.
Another candidate, homemaker Judy Tzeng Li-wen, is present too but with a smaller entourage. Also running is the incumbent, Edward Lau Kwok-fan, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB).
New Prospect is mainly formed by gangpiao, which means “Hong Kong drifters” and is used to describe mainland Chinese who stayed in the city after graduating or finding work locally.


Shouting match for hotly contested seat

Special passenger flow arrangements have been implemented at Sham Shui Po railway station, an MTR Corporation spokesman says.
Exit B2, near the intersection of Pei Ho Street and Fuk Wing Street, is no longer accessible as an entrance and will only serve those leaving the station.
The MTR Corp implemented similar arrangements to cope with heavy crowds at Causeway Bay station earlier in the day.
Hongkongers can travel for free on election day.


MTR implements crowd management measures at Sham Shui Po

Toby Cheung, 27, says she voted in Good Night Show, a talent programme by ViuTV, and in the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation held by Commercial Radio, but not for the Legislative Council election, although she has previously taken part in other political polls. 
“I think many of us follow the show and music awards closely in our daily life, that’s why we throw ourselves into it,” she says. “But there are not many choices among Legco candidates. I hope to choose a candidate who has independent thinking.”


More interest for talent show, song awards

Jeffrey Chan Chun-hung, a candidate from the moderate think tank Path of Democracy, says his group faces steep competition and is at a disadvantage because of its small size. 
“The election period is too short. For our small think tank, we have no material or resources to prepare things in time,” he says outside Kai Tin shopping centre in Lam Tin, as he greets prospective voters. 
“But we need to keep up our movement for democracy.” 
Chan adds that his chances are “less than before” in the last election, given the fewer spots available.



‘Keep up our movement for democracy’

Novice candidate Joephy Chan, of the Federation of Trade Unions, has made a desperate appeal for votes outside Kwai Fong MTR station, telling passersby that her prospects for victory are “very dire” if residents remain complacent about the poll.
Chan is backed by veteran politician and lawmaker Alice Mak Mei-keun and former legislator Chan Yuen-han, who are both in Kwai Tsing district to support her. 
“There are many rumours floating around that Joephy has enough votes to get elected, hence many people are not going to vote. That is not true, we don’t know for sure until the polling is over,” Mak says. 
Passers-by heckle Chan as she speaks to the press outside the MTR station, a frequent occurrence throughout the campaign season, her team says. 
However, Chan says she is “undeterred” by the disturbances. The 31-year-old is the youngest candidate running in the New Territories South West constituency. 

Meanwhile, in Mei Foo, Kowloon West candidate Scott Leung Man-kwong expresses a similar sentiment, attributing the apparent lack of enthusiasm to a relatively sleepy campaign period.
“The election situation is dire now; even some of our pro-establishment camp supporters haven’t come out to vote,” he says. “This is because the election atmosphere is not heated; they still cannot feel the election atmosphere.” 


Joephy Chan makes desperate appeal

As of 3.30pm, the halfway mark of the election on Sunday and seven hours into the poll, about 18.8 per cent of Hong Kong’s registered voters – or 839,563 people – have cast their ballots, according to official data.
In the last Legco election in 2016, when polling stations opened earlier at 7.30am, the turnout as of 3.30pm was about 26.9 per cent, or nearly 1.02 million people. The turnout seven hours into the election that year was 22.9 per cent, or 865,476 people.
Among the 10 geographical constituencies, New Territories South West had the highest turnout of about 20 per cent as of 3.30pm, while New Territories South East marked the lowest, at about 17 per cent.
For the trade-based functional constituencies, the overall turnout was about 19.1 per cent by 3.30pm. A third commercial sector, newly created to represent mainland enterprises in the city, recorded the highest turnout of about 94.4 per cent, while the lowest was reported in the social welfare sector, at about 10 per cent.
The figure for the Election Committee constituency was about 90.1 per cent, or 1,304 of its 1,448 members.
Polling stations will close at 10.30pm, except at five locations where operations will be extended by up to 22 minutes because of delays in their launch this morning. 


Election mid-point numbers: 18.8 per cent voter turnout

Crowds continue to pack the streets around town, but some Hongkongers appear more interested in making good use of the MTR’s free travel arrangements than doing their civic duty.
Causeway Bay is bustling, but Peter Chan, 28, is sceptical the crowds had anything to do with the Legislative Council election.
“There seem to be a lot more people on the street, but I am not sure if they are all out to vote,” he says, adding that he has no plans to cast a ballot despite having done so in past races.
Chan says he is just out to meet a friend for lunch, and to take advantage of the free transport. “These benefits should be enjoyed,” he adds.
Noting the lack of opposition candidates, he says “this election has low representation, so I have no motivation to take part”.

The mood is much the same at a packed coffee shop on the waterfront in Kennedy Town.
Esme Chan, 28, says she and her three friends are having a “picnic day”, travelling around the city for free on the MTR, adding that the election is “meaningless.”
Referring to new rules requiring candidates to be “patriots”, Chan, who supported the opposition in the past, says: “They don’t allow the people [to enter] that they don’t like. So how do we vote for the people we want to choose?” 
Daniel and his friend John, who asked to be referred to only by their first names, say they have been all over Hong Kong, from Lantau Island to Kennedy Town, thanks to the free travel.
Neither, however, have any intention of voting, saying the new system only allows for one point of view.
Looking at the cloudy skies, Daniel, a 26-year-old social worker, says the weather is an apt reflection of his mood.
“There is no hope,” he says. 
