Legislative Council Election 2025: Ethnic minorities voters satisfied with first ever designated polling station arrangement

Two designated polling stations have been set up for Hong Kong’s ethnic minority population to cast their ballots for the Legislative Council election on Sunday.

The designated polling stations are located at Tang Shiu Kin Victoria Government Secondary School and Kowloon Park Sports Centre, to allow ethnic minority voters who participate in religious events at the Wan Chai Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple and Kowloon Masjid respectively to cast their ballots, according to the authorities.

These designated polling stations are part of the government’s pilot arrangements to cater to voters with special needs.

“Sometimes it was difficult for us to wait in a queue, but now it is perfect,” said Aida Zubaida, 33, a housewife from India who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 10 years. “There are separate counters, so we can go easily and orderly.”

According to the 2021 Population Census, about 8.4% of Hong Kong’s population belong to an ethnic minority group. Indonesians top the list, followed by Filipinos, White people and Indians.

Zubaida said she hopes the next Legislative Council can address the social inequality encountered by the ethnic minority population today, especially in terms of financial support.

“There shouldn’t be partiality between Chinese and ethnic minorities, in jobs, employment and other areas," Zubaida said. “We are suffering a lot here, so that’s why we are expecting more separate places for us.”

“If we have more job opportunities, we can easily have financial support. But in Hong Kong, the Chinese language is very important here. Even though we are trying to learn the language, it has been very difficult for us.”

According to a report published by the Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong’s equality watchdog, it is common for ethnic minorities to face discrimination in accessing goods and services. In terms of employment, ethnic minority workers have a lower median monthly age on average, especially those of South Asian descent.

Abdul Kassim, 33, a system consultant from India who has lived in Hong Kong for three decades, said the next LegCo should work on bridging the gap between policies and ethnic minorities.

“There are a lot of government policies which are good, but people are not aware of it,” said Kassim. 

“I expect the new people coming [into the LegCo] to bridge the gap between the government and the ethnic minority community, so that we are made more aware of the government policies that can be beneficial for our children,” Kassim added.