LegCo election voting hours extended to 16 hours, adds special polling stations

Hong Kong voters will have a longer window to cast their ballots in the Legislative Council election on December 7, as authorities move to expand convenience measures ahead of polling day.

Electoral Affairs Commission's Chairman David Lok announced on Friday that voting hours will run from 7.30am to 11.30pm, extending the period to 16 hours. He said the adjustment aims to ensure that no resident willing to vote is prevented from doing so due to scheduling constraints.

As part of the expanded arrangements, several categories of dedicated polling stations will be introduced.

Ten stations will be set up for civil servants, particularly disciplined services officers and those required to work near specific locations. Another seven polling stations will be placed near hospitals to serve medical staff.

Two polling stations for ethnic minority voters will be established in Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui. The locations were chosen to allow Sikhs and Muslims to vote before or after attending religious activities at the Sikh Temple and Kowloon Mosque.

Outreach polling stations will also be arranged for residents of elderly care homes and disability institutions. Staff from the Registration and Electoral Office will visit 11 elderly homes and four disability care homes at designated times, carrying ballot papers and ballot boxes so that residents and on-duty staff may vote on-site.

For cross-boundary voters, the government will again operate a polling station in Sheung Shui near the border. Additional polling stations will also be introduced at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge and at Hong Kong International Airport, but advance registration will be required.

Lok said the Electoral Affairs Commission aims to “take one more step” in convenience measures, stressing that the priority is ensuring that voters who intend to vote can do so without hindrance.

He added that authorities will review the effectiveness of the extended voting hours after the election, noting that the arrangement may not become permanent if the impact proves limited.

Addressing concerns stemming from the temporary malfunction of the electronic voter register system during the 2023 District Council election, Lok said procedures have since been strengthened.

He also noted that extending voting hours by two hours will not risk another system failure.