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Ng Kang-chung

More polling stations could be set up near the border to help Hongkongers living or working in mainland China to vote in next year’s Legislative Council election, a minister has said.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai also reiterated on Sunday that more IT and technology would be used to improve efficiency in the election process, such as in voter registration and counting ballots.
“In the coming Legco election, we will follow more or less the same line of thinking [as before],” he said on a television show, referring to setting up polling stations near the border.
“We are also considering further enhancing or expanding the arrangement.”
Asked whether more such stations would be available, Tsang said: “There could be more choices for voters. But it all depends on the locations – whether a place is suitable for being used as a polling station.”
The border stations are part of a special arrangement first introduced during the pandemic to allow Hongkongers on the mainland to more easily cast their votes, instead of having to head to the regular polling sites.
The facilities were set up at three border crossings for the 2021 Legco election – Heung Yuen Wai, Lo Wu and the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line.
Authorities set up polling stations at two secondary schools in Sheung Shui for the district council election last year.
Voters hoping to take advantage of the arrangements had to register in advance. In last year’s poll, about 13,000 Hongkongers booked to use the two Sheung Shui stations.
Some commentators also view the arrangement as a compromise by the government amid mounting calls to set up polling stations directly on the mainland to allow Hongkongers to vote outside the city.
Local election laws stipulate that ballots must be cast in Hong Kong.
In a Legco panel meeting last Monday, Tsang told lawmakers that remote voting raised a number of legal issues, including how to enforce the city’s electoral laws on the mainland.
He said on Sunday that authorities had no plan to revise the electoral system, adding it had been running smoothly since Beijing’s reforms in 2021 to ensure only “patriots” could hold office.
He said he believed the present system was conducive to the long-term development of Hong Kong.


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Politics

But constitutional affairs chief Erick Tsang says authorities have no plans to revise voting laws to allow Hongkongers to vote outside city


But constitutional affairs chief Erick Tsang says authorities have no plans to revise voting laws to allow Hongkongers to vote outside city.


Hong Kong may add more voting stations near border for mainland-based residents in Legco poll

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}But constitutional affairs chief Erick Tsang says authorities have no plans to revise voting laws to allow Hongkongers to vote outside city

But constitutional affairs chief Erick Tsang says authorities have no plans to revise voting laws to allow Hongkongers to vote outside city