Hong Kong Legco election: city splits into ‘parallel universes’ as some residents vote while others shop or go sightseeing

Many of the people at polling stations were elderly or middle-aged, with some saying the 2019 social unrest pushed them to vote this time

Elsewhere, younger residents used free public transport to meet friends for meals or tour the city, arguing that without opposition candidates, the poll was meaningless

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A polling station banner steers voters in Whampoa. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 9:14pm, 19 Dec 2021Updated: 11:56am, 24 Dec 2021

Hong Kong appeared to split into two “parallel universes” during the Legislative Council election on Sunday. In one universe were candidates and voters, mostly elderly, heading out early to drum up support or cast their ballots. In another, many younger people, seemingly indifferent to the political event, seized the chance to ride public transport for free and have fun elsewhere.

City leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her senior allies urged residents throughout the day to vote in the first major election since Beijing overhauled the electoral system to ensure only “patriots” held power. As part of authorities’ push to boost voter turnout, residents were for the first time allowed to use buses, mass transit rail, trams and ferries without charge.

Post reporters toured various polling stations in Sham Shui Po, Tai Kok Tsui, Kennedy Town, Yau Ma Tei and other districts throughout the day and noticed that voters were mostly elderly or middle-aged, with very few young people spotted casting their ballots.

A polling centre at Shek Wu Tong in Kam Tin. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Among the early birds flocking to polling stations in the morning was Gloria Chan, a lawyer in her 40s, who voted at the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre in Sai Ying Pun. Describing herself as “loving the country and Hong Kong”, Chan said she respected Beijing’s electoral overhaul.

At Ying Wa College, a polling station in Kowloon West, dozens of mostly middle-aged or elderly residents cast their votes. Colby Lui, 31, who works in the catering sector, hailed the smooth process.

“There are not many people inside the polling station so I did not need to queue up,” she said, adding she was answering calls from officials to head to polling stations.

May Fung Lai-Lin, a 50-year-old businesswoman, said she voted for the first time in more than 30 years. The anti-government protests of 2019 were a turning point, she said, that inspired her to rejoin the political process.

“I vote for Hong Kong’s future. I think that Hongkongers should fulfil their responsibility to choose the candidates who help society,” Fung said.