At least 47 mentally handicapped people have been registered as voters in their hostels, while some of those registered do not know what voting is at all.

Reporters for Ming Pao newspaper found that the 47 voters were registered in nine hostels for the mentally handicapped run by eight organisations, six of which reportedly said they did not register for their clients. One hostel has helped mentally handicapped people to register with their knowledge, from which one voter was registered at the hostel.

A moderately mentally handicapped voter found in one hostel said “I don’t know, I haven’t learned [what voter was]”. Asked by the reporter if anyone had asked her to register as a voter, she said “no” but added that someone had taken her to vote in an election a long time ago.

Fernando Cheung. Photo: http://cheungchiuhung.org.hk/

Lawmaker Fernando Cheung, said: “she does not seem to know clearly what is a voter but she has voted, of course she was registered as a voter, but did she actively and willingly register? That was not so clear.” Cheung has a mentally handicapped daughter.

Psychiatrist Louis Lee Hou-tao said she seemed clear minded and the words were trustworthy, as she could clearly express that she did not know what voter registration was and was brought to vote.

Lee suggested the Registration and Electoral Office should send staff to hostels and check if they became voters willingly.

Six of the organisations that care for mentally handicapped voters who were registered said they did not register for them.

One other voter was a mildly mentally handicapped person in Yan Chai Hospital Sheung Wan Rehabilitation Services Centre. She said she did not understand what voting was and could not reply clearly when asked if she had registered as a voter by herself.

A spokesman for Yan Chai Hospital, the organisation which runs the Sheung Wan centre, told Ming Pao that two of the four voters were “smart girls” who registered by themselves but had never voted.

Another one was registered when applying for a Hong Kong Identity Card. The other voter of the centre was registered by his mother with the centre knowing.

Fifteen voters were registered at two hostels under Wai Ji Christian Service. A spokesman for the Service said voting was part of the mentally handicapped people’s lives, and the hostels will help them get to polling stations if necessary, but they will vote by themselves.

Any Hong Kong permanent resident aged 18 or above who ordinarily resides in Hong Kong is eligible to sign up as an elector, according to the Registration and Electoral Office. Mental capacity is not one of the criteria.

Previously, voters were found registered to derelict buildings in Kennedy Town.

Last week, a voter was found to be registered in an address on the 27th floor of a residential building which only has 19 floors.

Other incidents include the registration of a five-star hotel as the address of three voters and the changing of a voter’s address by an unknown individual using a forged signature.