Hong Kong’s constitutional affairs chief has dismissed suggestions that a record number of invalid ballots cast in the recent Legislative Council election was due to some people being forced to vote, adding that authorities may reconsider introducing “smart ballot boxes” to address the issue.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai also said on Saturday that last month’s deadly Tai Po fire had affected the voter turnout in the poll.
Last Sunday’s election yielded a turnout rate of 31.9 per cent, up slightly from the record low of 30.2 per cent in the 2021 Legco poll.
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But more invalid votes were recorded, with the 41,147 spoiled votes amounting to 3.12 per cent of the total cast. In the 2021 poll, 27,453 were spoiled, accounting for 2.03 per cent of the total.
The government had mounted an all-out push to boost turnout this year until the deadly inferno last month, with the business sector also offering incentives such as a half-day of paid leave and transport subsidies to encourage employees to cast their ballots.
Tsang rejected suggestions that the increase in invalid ballots was a result of people being forced to vote. Instead, he said the void votes could have been due to voters mistakenly choosing more candidates than required, and that authorities would step up measures to reduce such cases.