Calls To Give Priority To Elderly Voters Rejected

Electoral officials have ignored demands from the government and pro-Beijing parties to give priority to elderly and needy people so that they can vote ahead of others in September's Legco polls.

The government had said such a priority would show concern for the needy, but opponents say that would be similar to allowing some people to jump the queue ahead of those who had turned up already.

The perception is that older voters in Hong Kong tend to support the government, and some of them were reportedly put off by long queues during last year’s district council polls and gave up on voting.

In a statement published on Thursday, the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) said for the sake of fairness and equality, every voter will have to queue for their turn.

It is adopting the arrangement from last year’s polls when the elderly, pregnant women, and the disabled will be given a seat while waiting.

The commission is also putting in place measures to reduce the overall waiting time, such as setting up more desks to give out ballot papers during peak hours.

In an updated set of Legco election guidelines, the EAC also said it wants more order during the vote count. It says once someone shouts, the counting will be suspended and the disruptive person removed if they keep shouting.

The news was welcomed by Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai, who said the commission has used common sense and followed past practice.

Wu said he thinks it's more appropriate for election officers to have discretion in deciding whether to offer special arrangements for the needy, instead of giving them priority to cast their votes.

The DAB, meanwhile, condemned the arrangement, saying it is extremely disappointed that the commission has failed to address problems with last November's district council elections.

The party had previously called on the commission to allow the elderly, disabled people and pregnant women to cast their votes first, saying many of them had waited for long hours last time due to high voter turnout. The party accused the commission of being irresponsible, saying it will have to bear the greatest responsibility if the election turns out to be unfair.

DAB chair Starry Lee said: "They ignore what happened last year, where we all understand there are a lot of criticisms about the arrangement of the election, but I cannot see any response to any of this."