Massive Turnout for Pro-Democracy Voters

This old China Motor Bus is converted into a polling station

The first day of the primaries began after a three-hour delay and started at around noon. Robert Chung Yiu-ting, head of Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute explained in the early hours of Saturday that it was because of the police raiding its Wong Chuk Hang offices that they reset the encryption key for the voting system out of security concerns.

However, the delay did not deter voters at all. Benny Tai Yiu-ting, one of the organizers of the primaries, had hoped for a total turnout of 170,000 -- but in fact almost 229,000 came out to cast their vote on the first day alone.

Long lines of voters were seen today

The primaries are an opportunity for pro-democracy voters to choose their best candidate for the upcoming Legislative Council elections to avoid splitting the vote. Tai is hoping for at least 35 pan-democrats to be voted in to take at half of the seats.

On social media there were pictures of long lines in many places, including 200 in Tai Po Plaza. The polling stations were also held in locations not necessarily easy to find, as Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai had warned the primaries could breach the national security law.

Some district councillors had planned to use their offices as polling stations, but were warned by their landlord, the Housing Authority, that doing so would breach their leases. Also a gelato shop that sells "tear gas ice cream" as one of its flavours in a shopping mall in Tsuen Wan was also warned about using its space as a polling station and pulled out.

Nevertheless, there were several unusual polling stations. One was an old China Motor Bus in Tuen Mun, and even a lingerie shop in Kennedy Town -- how did the men feel being in a shop full of bras! There were jokes about the primaries having "lots of support" coming out of the lingerie shop.

At one point several police descended on this shop as there were many people waiting to cast their votes. But luckily they were satisfied people were practicing social distancing and left.

This lingerie shop was also a polling station

Joshua Wong Chi-fung, formerly of Demosisto, canvased for votes in Kwun Tong and told people it was either the ballot or the bullet -- a pretty stark choice, but he went straight the point.

Some people voted after seeing the news of Wong's colleague, Nathan Law Kwun-chung flee Hong Kong, while others voted for localist candidates knowing they may not win, but wanted to have their voices heard.

And isn't that the point of voting? Universal suffrage was promised in the Basic Law but still has yet to be realized...