2008 Legco Election Turnout Rate

The turnout rate for Legco geographical constituencies in 2000 was 43.57 %and in 2004 was 55.64%.

The official turnout rate is 45.2%, 10% lower than 2004. What explains such a poor turnout?

Is the government to be blamed? The government cannot be faulted for not encouraging the voters to exercise their voting rights. Voters registration exercise and legco election are widely promoted.

Each voter receives voting informatio including a two-page brief on each candidates contesting in the constituency which the voter belong to. Through TV, radio, internet, traditional media, the HK government deploy celebrities in high exposure promotional campaigns.

The polling hours strecthing from 7.30 am to 10.30 pm is perhaps one of the longest in the region yet the turnout rate in HK legoc election remains disappointingly one of the lowest in the region.

Are voters's political apathy the reason? That maybe so. The 2008 Legco election did not have any heated political issue like the Article 23 legislation in the previous round and the disatisfaction with Donald's Tsang has not reached the acute level of discontent with Tung.

Further, I suspect a large number of middle class or aspiring middle class who voted for the Liberal Party didn't show up at the polling station this time as evident by the loss of all the Liberal Party candidates in the geographical constituencies.

It would appear that the 2004 turnout rate of 55.64% is the exception and 45% should be about the normal turnout rate for an election without contentious political issues.