Several cases where election rules and procedures were allegedly violated have been reported by local media since Sunday, the day of the New Territories East by-election. Some of the cases reportedly involve voters being directed to vote for Holden Chow Ho-ding, the representative of the pro-Beijing DAB party.
Sunday’s by-election, held to fill the New Territories East Legislative Council seat, was triggered by Ronny Tong Ka-wah’s resignation from the Legislative Council in June last year. He left his New Territories East seat last September.
Some of the cases that have been reported include:
- The pro-democracy Civic Party told Apple Daily that a voter was directed to vote for the DAB at the Po Lam Multipurpose Hall at Tseung Kwan O on Sunday. According to the Civic Party, a man asked staff at the polling station: “Who doesn’t cause trouble? I hate those who cause trouble!” A staff member answered “DAB.” A Civic Party election agent made a complaint to the Deputy Presiding Officer Lo, who expressed suspicion about the complaint and said later that he could not provide the name of the staff who made the comment, but could report the matter. The Civic Party told Apple Daily that it would make an official complaint to the Registration and Electoral Office.
- In another case reported by Apple Daily, a voter surnamed Pang told the newspaper that she was told that she had already voted when she arrived at the polling station. She was allowed to vote, but was later told that her vote would be “invalidated.” Pang made an official complaint while at the polling station and urged the Registration and Electoral Office to investigate whether her identity was used with intent or if a staff had made a mistake. She also urged the office to investigate its identity verification and supervision procedures.
- Civic Party’s candidate Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu posted on Facebook saying that he had received information about a bus taking people to Tai Po’s Hong Kong Teacher’s Association Lee Heng Kwei Secondary School to vote. The people on the bus allegedly received a free meal after voting. Yeung said in response: “Stop vote-rigging! Real Hong Kongers, let’s all vote.” He also shared a video in which a man was filmed allegedly telephoning people and telling them to vote No. 3 (Chow) for a free meal.
【⑦ 號楊岳橋 今日齊投票】踢走種票！香港人要投票 ?[有片有真相] [極醜惡] ??? 廣福邨麥當勞邨邨民實錄?：3 號係民建聯㗎！投完之後有餐飯食呀另有西貢居民告知已「被投票」，記得遇事要向選舉主任作書面投訴，並可…
Posted by Alvin Yeung 楊岳橋 on Sunday, 28 February 2016
- Hong Kong Indigenous also shared a video where a man was heard in Sheung Shui talking to an old lady. He said: “Granny, it’s No. 3, yes it’s No. 3, if you don’t know [how to vote] then find the Presiding Officer, you can say No. 3, three fingers, he’ll help you vote.”
廣傳！禮義廉夾埋選舉事務處違規洗樓仲叫人幫投票罪證確鑿！公平公正？仆街死啦！
Posted by 本土民主前線 on Sunday, 28 February 2016
- According to Ming Pao, a citizen reported a case to the Independent Council Against Corruption (ICAC) on Saturday, in which Holden Chow Ho-ding was said to have been involved in transferring benefits while he was a District Council member. Chow said in a statement that the accusations are false and that he felt regret that someone “went to the ICAC in a high profile manner” to falsely accuse him “without any basis of truth.”
Alvin Yeung won the by-election with 37.19 per cent of the votes. or 160,880 votes out of 434,400. Chow, of the pro-Beijing DAB, was second with 150,329 votes – a share of 34.85 per cent. Voter turnout on Sunday was 46.1 per cent.
