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Edith Lin

Some Hongkongers have said they took part in the Legislative Council election out of a sense of civic duty, while others were drawn by company benefits, retail discounts and souvenirs offered to holders of voting thank-you cards arranged by the government to boost turnout.
According to the Post’s observation at more than 10 polling stations across the city on Sunday, a majority of the voters were elderly. One 85-year-old woman made her way to a polling station in Wan Chai with a walking stick and her Indonesian helper.
The woman, surnamed Li, said she had voted in every election out of a sense of civic duty since settling in Hong Kong years ago.
“I hope my vote can help Hong Kong get better,” she said.

At the Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road) polling station, 75-year-old Lo Ha voted shortly after the doors opened at 7.30am.
“After voting, I’ll go have morning tea,” she said, adding she hoped everyone would participate in the election so life could continue to improve for all.
Yuen Leung-hau, 65, flipped through promotional pamphlets outside the polling station at Law Ting Pong Secondary School in Tai Po before he made his final decision.
“We have to fulfil our civic duty. Since we’re voting, we shouldn’t do it carelessly. We should do our homework and learn more about the candidates,” he said.
Residents left the polling stations with thank-you cards, carrying the slogan “Together We Create a Better Future”, messages of gratitude and the cartoon election mascots.
A search by the Post on online resale platform Carousell at around 8pm found at least 40 listings selling the thank-you cards for between HK$10 (US$1.30) and HK$50.
Some of the listings described the cards as being sold for their “collector’s value” and “promotional use”, while some said they had “many” to offer.
As part of the government effort to boost turnout, residents with the cards were eligible to receive souvenirs from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, such as shopping bags, mobile phone straps and towels. Dozens of elderly people were seen queuing outside a public market in the afternoon.
Various sectors also hoped to boost the participation rate, with retailers providing discounts and coupons to thank-you card holders, including half-price film tickets for many cinemas.
Some companies and organisations offered employees holding the cards an extra half-day off, including the NGO where voter Christopher Yu worked.
Yu, a 38-year-old events manager, said he was not fond of any candidates and voted simply for the benefits.
“I need to have the thank-you card to claim a half-day off for work,” he said. “Honestly, [a half-priced movie ticket] is the only perk out of the whole election thing.”
The Taikoo Shing resident saved HK$100 on two tickets for Zootopia 2.
Several residents were seen redeeming their half-price tickets at the MCL cinema in Fanling. But one voter was unaware of the discount and said staff did not mention it either.
The Post also observed that at least four people used the thank-you cards to redeem shopping coupons within half an hour in the afternoon at the K11 Musea shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. The coupons were also offered at the K11 Art Mall and Kai Tak Mall.

A 31-year-old man, who only gave his name as Bond, said the store employee reminded him of the offer when he went shopping at the K11 Art Mall after voting.
He said the offers and discounts were an attempt to “buy” voters’ hearts and minds, but the incentives had not influenced his decision to take part.
Senior Counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a member of the government’s key decision-making Executive Council, last month told a radio show that offering benefits to encourage residents to vote aligned with civic rights and duties, and helped promote a more representative legislature.
Tong said offering benefits to induce voters to support a specific candidate might contravene electoral laws, but merely encouraging residents to vote was not illegal.
Among the young residents taking part in their first Legco election was university student Jackie Lam, who said he was focused on candidates’ policies for young people.
“I want to see if they have considered our demographic in their work,” the 20-year-old said, adding she wanted to do her civic duty.
“I really hope that once they say they will do something, they will take action and actually accomplish it.”
Another first-time participant, Steven Yau, said he had not given much thought to which candidate to support and voted for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city’s largest political party and the one he was most familiar with.
“My family asked me to come out and vote today, so I did,” he said. “It’s my first time voting – I’ve never tried before – so I wanted to experience it.”
Additional reporting by Oscar Liu, Harvey Kong, Stephy Zhang and Kelly Fung


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The Legislative Council election is scheduled for this Sunday. Photo: Jelly Tse

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News

Hong Kong

Politics

Residents give range of reasons for voting, with some saying they want society to improve and others pointing to time off work and discounts


Residents give range of reasons for voting, with some saying they want society to improve and others pointing to time off work and discounts.


Hong Kong politics

Civic duty drives some Hongkongers to vote, while others drawn by incentives

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Residents give range of reasons for voting, with some saying they want society to improve and others pointing to time off work and discounts

Residents give range of reasons for voting, with some saying they want society to improve and others pointing to time off work and discounts