HK residents on mainland to vote at 3 checkpoints for LegCo poll

A total of 111,000 Hong Kong residents living on the Chinese mainland will be able to cast their votes at polling stations to be set up at the Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Heung Yuen Wai land ports for the legislative election on Dec 19, the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said on Monday.

The three checkpoints, which have been closed since February 2020, will be opened on the day to allow electors residing on the mainland to cast their votes regardless of their geographical constituencies and functional constituencies. The voters then can return to the mainland without being subject to compulsory quarantine.

The government will allocate a total of 111,000 entry quotas on a first-come, first-served basis, with 42,000 in Lo Wu, 36,000 in Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and 33,000 in Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang port.

To ensure an orderly and smooth implementation of the arrangements, eligible voters have to register for an entry quota in advance and indicate which checkpoints they want to use. The registration hours will be from 9am on Wednesday, to 6 pm on Dec 8.

The polling stations at the border will be turned into counting stations. To ensure the fairness and openness of the election, candidates or their agents can apply to enter the polling stations to observe the counting process.

The Election Committee members still have to vote at the dedicated polling station in Wan Chai's Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The government has reminded electors in this constituency who are still outside Hong Kong to plan their return journey in advance to vote on the polling day.

Hong Kong will hold its legislative election on Dec 19, when over 4.4 million voters choose 90 lawmakers to serve for the next four years.