NDI Youth Program in Hong Kong: Student monitoring of the 2007 District Council Elections and Legislative Council by-election

To address the low levels of interest and lack of activism by students in Hong Kong, based on their experiences in other countries, in 2007 the National Democratic Institute (NDI) initiated a Youth Public Participation Program in Hong Kong.

One of the ways the NDI got access to students in Hong Kong was by forming partnerships with professors in our local universities and one of their key partners in this was Professor Michael DeGolyer, head of the Hong Kong Transition Project (HKTP) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), who in 2007 arranged for his students to take part in election monitoring on behalf of the NDI, the first of many events where he would give the NDI access to students.

Professor Michael DeGolyer of HKBU, who
arranged access for the NDI to Hong Kong students

 

NDI 2007 election monitoring activities in Hong Kong

2007 NDI Hong Kong Assessment

In 2007 the NDI conducted in-depth assessments of the November District Council Elections and December Legislative Council by-election.

To assist in these assessments, they conducted a study with the assistance of the HKTP, in which six student volunteers observed the campaigns of five District Councilor candidates (four incumbents and one challenger).

The NDI billed these activities as: “The Campaign – Getting Out the Vote”.

This is how the role of the students was described in NDI Promise of Democratization Report 12¹ on the elections:

2007 District Council Election Case Studies: Student Observations

“The Hong Kong Transition Project recruited six student volunteers who conducted an observation of the campaigns of six District Council candidates, focused on qualitative aspects of their campaigns.

The study was conducted to help better understand the role of Hong Kong’s political parties in supporting candidates during election time, including campaign strategies as well as general campaigning techniques.

Prior to observations, the students were briefed on their role as observers and the need to refrain from participating in any electioneering activities to ensure their neutrality. The observations took place between October 1, 2007 and November 18, 2007.

Students were asked to observe the activities of the candidate and their aides, including types of campaign literature distributed, the reaction of passers-by, what other campaigning techniques are employed, the tactics employed by the opponents.

The student volunteers observed the following six candidates:

·         Tony Chan Independent Incumbent Eastern District,

·         Ken Chow Liberal Party Incumbent Yuen Long District,

·         Gary Fan Democratic Party Incumbent Sai Kung District,

·         Patrick Leung Civic Party Incumbent Eastern District,

·         Jimmy Wong Democratic Party Incumbent Tai Po District,

·         Wendy Wong Civic Party New Candidate Tuen Mun District.

Each student provided a synopsis of their observations by the students. The full reports are being analyzed and will provide qualitative input to a report being prepared by the Hong Kong Transition Project”.

Reference

¹The Promise of Democratization in Hong Kong: The 2007 District Council Elections, Legislative Council By-election, and Prospects for Constitutional Reform. NDI Hong Kong Report #12. December 27, 2007. See: Promise of Democratization Report 12