Register at centre of police investigation containing personal details of 8,000 Hong Kong voters has gone, election officials admit
- Electoral office chief Wong See-man says folder has been missing since 2016 and attempts to find it have failed
- Officers hid the fact the file could not be found when they were first asked for it more than two years ago
Hong Kong election authorities have contacted police after admitting they cannot find a folder containing the personal details of 8,000 voters, which is wanted as part of a law enforcement investigation.
Officials said they spent all weekend searching through thousands of ballot boxes and suitcases for the register, which was connected to the Legislative Council election in September 2016.
On Tuesday, Registration and Electoral Office (REO) chief Wong See-man revealed that the register had gone missing in October 2016, when a law enforcement agency requested it from his office.
But officers did not report this to their supervisors, he added.
“No report was made to me. I must admit that there’s problems with our internal communication,” Wong conceded.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said he had told officials to notify the affected voters and various government bodies as soon as possible.
“I apologise to the residents. Hong Kong elections have been organised in a fair and open manner, and we would not allow any error to undermine the people’s confidence in public elections,” he said.
The admission came four days after the electoral office said it was searching for the voter register, which was used at a polling station at SKH Ho Chak Wan Primary School in Tsing Yi during the Legislative Council’s general election in September 2016.
The document contained the personal information of about 8,000 voters, including names, addresses and identity card numbers. It also showed whether the person had voted.
By law, the REO must retain poll-related documents for six months after an election. They are then destroyed unless there is a court order relating to an election petition or criminal proceedings.
Minister slams handling of missing 2016 voter registry as ‘unacceptable’
Voter registers for the 2016 poll had been retained because law enforcement agencies were investigating a legal case related to the election, Wong’s office said earlier.
The electoral chief said his office confirmed on Tuesday morning that the register was missing, after searching six storage facilities.
“We inspected 13,000 ballot boxes and 3,400 suitcases that officers used to transport election-related equipment. But the register could not be found,” he said.
Nip said the REO had also reported the case to the privacy watchdog, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD).
“The REO will fully cooperate with the police and the PCPD’s investigation,” he said, adding that the office would also submit a detailed report to his bureau and the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC).
Registration and Electoral Office still looking for missing document
“The EAC will conduct its own investigation, identify the problems with our electoral arrangement and the administration of the REO, and make recommendations.”
Nip reiterated that the matter would be handled in accordance with the disciplinary protocol if human error had been involved, or if there had been a cover-up.
The privacy commissioner’s office said it had launched a compliance check into the case.
It is the second time in recent years that election officials have admitted to losing voter information.
During the election for chief executive in March 2017, the electoral office also lost a laptop at AsiaWorld-Expo. It contained the names, addresses and ID card numbers of 3.78 million voters. The facility was the fallback venue for the election.
The Electoral Affairs Commission said it was highly undesirable the REO had failed to recover the register and did not report the incident for more than two years.
“The REO must learn the lesson ... It should be very cautious when handling and storing voter registration information, while upholding security and honesty as a paramount principle,” the spokesman said.
At a Legislative Council meeting on Tuesday, Nip was slammed by legislators from across the political spectrum.
Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the incident would discourage people from registering as voters, while Council Front lawmaker Eddie Chu Hoi-dick urged Nip to step down.
“The secretary is categorising this issue of political responsibility as an issue of miscommunication ... You said you were not informed that the register went missing but, as an official, would you bear the responsibility and resign over this incident?” Chu asked.
Nip said he would improve electoral arrangements so the problem would not emerge again.
“The responsibility I take is to follow up on the matter properly ... We need to find out whether the root of the problem is related to our policies, guidelines and operations first, and then come to a conclusion and you can make your requests,” he said.
