Hong Kong sees record-low turnout for District Council polls

Hong Kong saw its lowest-ever turnout for the district council elections on Sunday, despite relentless efforts by the SAR government to encourage Hongkongers to cast their vote.  

With the voting hours extended for 1.5 hours until midnight due to last-minute technical glitches, turnout ended up at 27.54 percent, with 1,193,193 out of 4.3 million eligible voters taking part, the Electoral Affairs Commission said on Monday.  

The figure was significantly lower than the previous district council election held in November 2019, when the turnout rate was 71.23 percent, as 2.94 million people voted. It is also the lowest since the District Council was established in 1982.  

The 27.54 percent was also lower than the 30.2 percent turnout in the 2021 Legco elections.  

The government has on multiple occasions downplayed the significance of a low turnout rate, but the lack of interest in political participation could suggest discontent towards the revamped electoral rules.  

The SAR government slashed the proportion of seats chosen directly by members of the public from over 90 percent to less than 20 percent in an overhaul in May to ensure only “patriots” were elected following a pro-democracy landslide in 2019.

The rest were chosen by the city’s leader and government-appointed committees, with each local council chaired by a government official. 

Read more: Revamp of district councils sealed